| | I have no idea what graduation events are like at other colleges in America, but Smith does an amazing job, and I can't imagine anything more spectacular. Like other colleges, after finals and before graduation, we had senior week. As I'm on the crew team, and we do pretty well, I had a big championship that ran into senior week. Also, as I took a class at Amherst this semester, and Amherst ends a week later than Smith, I had one last final to complete during senior week. Once these last two responsibilities ended, I spent the rest of senior week seeing all my friends. My friends and I tried to make as much use as possible of our town, Northampton, before we left. To do this I think we ate every meal we could out. Every morning we had brunch at a different breakfast restaurant. Every night we ate dinner out at a different restaurant. Yes, there are that many delicious restaurants in Northampton. During senior week many friends went to Providence, Boston, New York City, Six Flags, and even outlet shopping (only 40 minutes away). I just did whatever I could to see as many friends as often as possible before graduating. I, of course also made good use of all the great stores we have in Northampton. Throughout the week, the school held about four events a day for seniors to attend from graduation cap decorating, to senior wine and cheese events, to mocktails with the President, to outdoor parties.
Towards the end of senior week, I caught up with the seniors on my crew team one more time. We went out for one last row on the Connecticut River, and then all of us had brunch together down town. We also had a goodbye party at our coach's house the night before all the big ceremonies began.
The big alum reunions at Smith begin half way through senior week. During reunion, alums move into student housing and live with us seniors. The 50th year reunion class, lived in my house for several days and they were so much fun to be around, and told us the funniest stories about their lives and their graduation 50 years ago. Saturday, the day before graduation, is a day known as Ivy Day. It is my favorite Smith tradition and day of the year at Smith.Ivy Day brings seniors and alums together to celebrate the students' transformation into alumnae. It begins with the alumnae march, from the oldest to the youngest classes. All Smithies dress in white, but alums wear white shoes and the rest of us Smithies wear black shoes. The alums march through two lines of seniors holding roses. Many alumnae classes carry signs with funny slogans. After the march, Junior Ushers, carrying a laurel chain follow the alums (I was a Junior Usher last year) and then the seniors follow behind the Junior Ushers into the Quad for the ceremony. To learn more about Ivy Day, you can go to: http://www.smith.edu/commencement/2008/index.php
After Ivy Day, my family and I went to a lunch at Smith, and later on in the afternoon a beautiful tea on the President's lawn. At this tea my family met the president, the provost, and many of my professors from over the years. Later that night, after dinner, the festivities started up again. At 8pm all the seniors gathered by the pond for the Senior Candle Lighting Ceremony. In this ceremony all the seniors line up next to the pond, holding candles and all of the seniors' candles light up at the same time as a sign that says "Smith 2008". After this ceremony, normally Illumination Night begins. Unfortunately it was too rainy and windy for Illumination Night this year. Normally though, Illumination is my favorite night of the year. (I have put up some photos of it from two years ago.) For Illumination Night, Smith lights up the whole campus with over two thousand Japanese paper lanterns. A cappella groups are also stationed all over the campus singing. For the whole night, family and friends can walk among the lanterns and a cappella groups. It's like being in a fairy land, or something to that extent. Also during Illumination Night, another big tradition that occurs is Sophomore Push. Sophomore Push is made up of about 30 Sophomores who help run graduation and make sure it runs smoothly. (I was a part of Sophomore Push when I was a sophomore.) The name came from the tradition that sophomores at Smith normally pushed the seniors out into the real world. Thus, at the Sophomore Push event on Illumination Night, the seniors all stand on the stairs of our main library, Neilson Library and the sophomores stand behind us. The sophomores sing songs they made up about Smith to a familiar pop song (like Brown Eyed Girl, or Wannabe), to the seniors, and after the song, they push the seniors off the steps into the real world. I know it sounds weird, but it's a big tradition here. All seniors want to be pushed.
After all these traditions, the next morning was graduation. Graduation is held in the Quad and again is just a beautiful event. We line up by house, and not alphabetically by class. So as we all walk across the stage, we receive the wrong diploma. Following Commencement, seniors form a large ring, several circles deep on the King/Scales Quad to create what is called Diploma Circle. Diplomas are passed around each circle, with graduates leaving the circle when they receive their own diplomas. Gradually, only one circle remains. Diploma Circle takes approximately 7 minutes for all graduates to get their diploma.
After graduation, I think my family and I packed for a good day or two. I certainly wasn't and I don't think any of my friends were happy to leave Smith either. None of us wanted college to be over. Hopefully though, we'll come back for all the reunions. The first one is only two years away! I only have a month until work starts, and I feel like I just started college. I'm not sure where the four years went, but they were the best four years of my life. If I had to do it all over again, without a doubt I would choose Smith. I don't think anywhere is quite as special, supportive, or magical as Smith.
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