Guilford College graduations are special. Weather permitting, they are held outside on the central academic quad, making the ceremony especially inclusive. Anyone can attend, and tickets aren’t required. As guests approach the quad, they are greeted by bins of buttons with several options. We weren’t parents or siblings of a graduate, so when we explained that we were there as supportive community members, the response was, “Oh, you’re friends!”

As students begin the commencement processional, first, you hear bagpipes in the distance. It sounds like an entire pipe band, but as the musicians come down the hill, you realize there are only two. Students follow behind the bagpipes, walking to their seats with faculty following behind them.

During Saturday’s ceremony, 237 students were honored. Another meaningful aspect of graduation at Guilford is the time taken to recognize and photograph each graduate individually. With a total student population of about 1,000, honoring 237 graduates is approaching 1/4 of the population. We wore our “Friend” buttons with pride and were once again reminded just how significant Guilford College is to the fabric of Greensboro. Congratulations to the Quaker graduates, family, and other friends. And for the moms in the audience, this had to have been an especially meaningful Mother’s Day weekend.

Happy Monday!