As a new class of graduates walk the Lawn, pops of color will mark the crowd. While the typical graduation fixtures of caps and gowns adorn the soon-to-be-alumni of the University, there is something atypical in the hands of many students — a balloon.
These helium-filled novelties have become a staple at Final Exercises at the University. The tradition began in the past two decades as a way for families to spot graduates in the large, similarly-dressed crowd.
For the vast majority of graduates, Final Exercises is the last time they get to be a student on Grounds. The balloons, in tandem, are one of their final acts at the University. Annie Zhao, Vice President of Fourth-Year Trustees and fourth-year College student, highlighted how the tradition is a bookend for all of their accomplishments at the University and an avenue of expression for students…