Celebration of Excellence

• Social Time
   
• Graduate Procession
   
• Land Acknowledgement and
  Opening Remarks
  Dr. Danyelle Gregory
  Interim Vice President
  Office of Diversity & Inclusion
   
• University Welcome
  President Kavalhuna Video
   
• Presentation of Stoles
  Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Stoles
  Kente Stoles
  International/Multicultural Graduate Stoles
  Native American Stoles
  Sarape Stoles
  WMU Staff
   
• Closing Remarks
  Dr. Danyelle Gregory
   
• *An APIDA (Asian Pacific Islander Desi American) Stole is
  presented to our domestic Asian American and Native Hawaiian
  or other Pacific Islander students. The red stole with gold trim
  symbolizes the accomplishments of APIDA students and
  celebrate the diversity of cultures among APIDA students. Red
  and gold are symbolically positive colors in many APIDA
  cultures. We are presenting these to our graduates in
  remembrance of Dr. Ming Li, former dean and transformative
  leader of the College of Education and Human Development.
   
• *A Kente Stole is presented to graduates who identify as African
  American/Black as a symbol of their pride in being of African
  descent. These stoles weave together the wisdom of Africa prior
  to the Middle Passage with the continued efforts to retain the
  identity and cultural knowledge of the Black experience during
  the diaspora.
   
• *A International/Multicultural Stole is presented to our
  international students, as well as students who identify with
  more than one ethnicity or race, as a symbol of their successful
  journey in the pursuit of their education.
   
• *A Native American Stole is presented to students who identify
  as Native American as a symbol of their heritage. The colors in
  the stole are representative of the elements of nature. The
  colors of the stole symbolize the students’ connection to their
  heritage.
   
• *A Sarape Stole is presented to students who identify as
  Latina/o/x/e as symbol of their cultural heritage. The sarape stole
  is an adaptation of the handwoven blankets worn in many Latin
  countries. Like the Kente, it is a symbol of the students’
  connection to their cultural heritage.
   
• Help support the Celebration of Excellence
  by making a donation at wmualumni.org/giving. Search for:
  Celebration of Excellence Fund
  Thank you!
   
• Land Acknowledgement
  We would like to recognize that Western Michigan University is
  located on lands historically occupied by Ojibwe, Odawa, and
  Bodewadmi nations. Please take a moment to acknowledge and
  honor this ancestral land of the Three Fires Confederacy, the
  sacred lands of all indigenous peoples and their continued
  presence.

Spring 2024 celebration

Fall 2024 celebration

Spring 2022 celebration

Fall 2021 celebration

Spring 2021 celebration

Fall 2020 celebration 

Spring 2020 celebration

Summer 2020 celebration