Students participate in special commencement ceremonies

Cultural graduations for students may be more meaningful than traditional commencement ceremonies.

 Cal State Long Beach now has six different cultural graduations to participate in — African American, American Indian, Chicano/Latino, Pacific Islander, Pilipino and Lavender graduation.

 Lavender Graduation is a ceremony for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Intersex Questioning Queer and Allies (LGBTIQA) community at CSULB.

 “It was such an emotional experience,” said Aunnie Ganier, a graduating women’s studies major, in reference to her participation in the Lavender Graduation. Ganier said, “I was getting so teary eyed even before it started.”

 Some of the speakers at the Lavender Graduation included Jeffrey Klaus, the director of student life and development, and Bonnie Lowenthal, the Long Beach vice mayor.

 “It was so cool to see one of my professors, Elizabeth Philipose, as the MC,” Garnier said.

 Garnier also plans on attending the commencement ceremony for her college but said, “…the smaller graduation is more meaningful for me. I was with the people I grew up with, people who know me. It was something very special in a different way.”

 Al Herrera, a graduating psychology and sociology major who was named outstanding graduate for the College of Liberal Arts, participated in the Chicano/Latino cultural celebration.

  “We feel the need to celebrate and value our culture at the same time,” Herrera said. “It encompasses the Latino culture and also has a bilingual ceremony which is beneficial for family members.”

 Christopher Chavez, the newly elected ASI vice president for next year said any group of students could form their own cultural graduation.

 “If a group of any background of students formed a committee and wanted to have their own graduation, they could apply to ASI for help with funding,” Chavez said.

 “Come and talk to the treasurer or any officer in ASI about organizing the graduation and get help with funding; that’s how the lavender graduation started.”

  Erin Swetland, who was recently elected ASI president for next year said that the Pilipino American Coalition had come to ASI with the idea of a Filipino graduation.

  “A lot of the reasons groups have their own cultural graduations is because they already had a large organization on campus like PAC,” Swetland said.

 Chavez said any group could have the tools to organize their own graduation.

 “If there is a group of Japanese students that would want to organize a cultural graduation that would be fun,” Chavez said. 

 Steven Morris, a graduating Japanese studies major and member of  the Japan Club expressed his interest in a Japanese cultural graduation. “I would be interested in a Japanese cultural celebration if they had one because I have several friends that would participate in it.”

 Chavez, who is of Mexican and Spanish decent, said he would participate in a cultural graduation, when he graduates.

“A lot of the people I know are in the Chicano/Latino graduation,” Chavez said. “I would have a lot of friends graduating with me.”