Are these mortarboards better than yours?
If your mortarboard is bland, there"s still time to spruce it up. The eight boards below are a sample of what you"ll see at the 2015 Tulane University Commencement ceremony on Saturday (May 16). One even has lights! See how your board measures up. And learn the meanings behind these spectacular designs. (Graphic by Tracey Bellina-Milazzo)
No. 1 Melissa Reitcheck of Boise, Idaho (political economy, economics and linguistics)
My mortarboard was inspired by the New Orleans artist Simon and includes a reference to Louis Armstrong"s famous song. I will be moving away after graduation, so this bit of nostalgia was important to me.
No. 2 Libby Banagale of Biloxi, Mississippi (health and wellness)
At the age of 61, I finally earned my degree. My kids are flying in from Nebraska and North Dakota to celebrate with me. They are all college graduates! My passion is keeping the baby boomer generation independent and active. I tell people, “you may have to get old, but you don"t have to get decrepit.”
No. 3 Shelby Bourgeois of Paulina, Louisiana (psychology and early childhood education)
I used Pinterest and Facebook craft groups to figure out exactly what I wanted to feature on my cap. There are so many ideas that crossed my mind because so many things are important to me Tulane, Sigma Delta Tau, my faith, my loyalty to the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans, and a quote I love: Have Courage and Be Kind. I decided to do all of them. I also added lights to help my family and friends find me in the sea of Tulane grads!
No. 4 Morgan Laurent of Covington, Louisiana (neuroscience)
NMIAI means "No Man Is an Island." It"s the motto of the Louisiana Youth Seminar, a nonprofit youth leadership organization I have worked for since before my freshman year. The snoball is my favorite New Orleans treat! The street tiles helped me navigate my way through the city. The streetcar was my preferred transportation during my first two years. The neuron pictured at the bottom middle of the fleur de lis represents my major and the fact that I"m heading to medical school in the fall. The crawfish and corn represents Crawfest and the Kappa Alpha Theta letters represent my involvement in the Greek system at Tulane. And I couldn"t leave out Mardi Gras beads, for the most wonderful holiday of the year!
No. 5 Elizabeth Skiles of Elmhurst, Illinois (public health)
The meaning behind my cap is all about the places I have lived in and will one day love in. The Mardi Gras beads represent New Orleans. The star is the star design used on the city flag for Chicago. The background is a bunch of the Chicago stars cut out from Anthropologie magazines and the stars are lined in more beads. Anthropologie is my favorite store that is in both Chicago and New Orleans and will be a part of my future cities, so the magazine background represents the future cities I will live in.
No. 6 Taylor Holt of New Orleans (humanities)
I am huge fan of Despicable Me minions! The minion on the left represents a close family member of mine who calls me Cookie. The minion next to that one is another family member who would be so proud of me finishing. The minion with the grad hat on is me. If you look closely, this minion is holding a trumpet because I"m a musician. In the future I plan to be a teacher. The chalkboard in the left corner is a symbol for my future classroom. The words read “Future Teacher, Class of 2015.”
No. 7 Kelly Claire of Greenwich, Connecticut (master"s in accounting)
I included my two favorite things about my Tulane experience on my cap. The Tulane Greenie encompasses all of the Tulane and New Orleans spirit. The November Project logo represents a free-fitness movement with locations all across the country. The NOLA November Project tribe has shown me the amazing culture and lifestyle of the young adults who build careers in New Orleans.
No. 8 Dominique Alexander of New Orleans (executive MBA)
The peacock was great for the Tulane color scheme. My initials are DLA and pink is my favorite color. I tied in the Tulane colors by painting the letters DL (teal) and MBA (pool blue). For my undergrad graduation I didn"t decorate my mortarboard and I wish I had ... For my MBA graduation I knew I was going to do something fun!
The 2015 Commencement ceremony will be streamed live online. Follow us on social media at #tulane15.
