Graduation season shines a light across the world
We are currently at the time of year when university students and their family members and their other supporters are attending graduations across the nation.
Graduation ceremonies are vitally important events for officially recognising each students’ efforts and attainments as well as for providing communal celebration of what is a personal milestone in a person’s life course.
It is an event which makes public their formal transition to the next stage of their life .
Graduations as rituals, provide the chance.to publicly acknowledge the hard work, commitment and dedication of each student whilst amplifying and reinforcing societal values of achievement and progress.
These ceremonies provide a sense of closure and foster connection between graduates and their community of support and act as aspirational forces for future efforts too.
Graduations serve as a public acknowledgment of dedication and hard work, reinforcing societal values of achievement and progress. The ceremonial rituals involved, provide a sense of closure, whilst fostering a connection between graduates and their community of support, and they serve to inspire future endeavours too.
I recently attended my niece’s graduation ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall where she graduated with a Masters with Distinction from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. I was greatly taken with how uplifting and joyous the whole occasion was, not only for the graduates but for everyone in attendance.
The ceremony brought meaning to the experience of study and its goals as well as to the societal benefits of study and collaboration. The Arts are often ignored or downgraded when contributions to society are discussed in political arenas, yet this sector not only brings cultural and societal enrichment to all of our lives, they are a powerhouse contributor to this nation's fiscal economy too.
The cultural industries alone generated in the UK around £32.97 billion in Gross Value Added ( GVA) between January and December 2024 and it is expected that this years contributions will surpass this. Graduates from this sector deserve to be welcomed and celebrated for the enrichment and other contributions they bring to our society and our lives.