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The Wackiest Graduation Of All Time

Why graduate with pomp and circumstance when you can graduate with something a whole lot more representative of your college experience? Tomorrow is our homecoming and I thought it was fitting now more than ever to finally share some photos from the big day four months ago when we were evicted from this "home," consolation prize of a diploma in hand.

Oh man, that reminds me. Will you guys tell me at the end of this post to go and actually pick up my diploma?

So anyway. One of Stanford's time-honored – quote unquote – traditions is the Wacky Walk: a final collective embracing of being weird. Undergrads come to commencement in any strange get-up they can dream up as we listen to the Greats before us espouse wisdom and the like. Rewatch that famous Steve Jobs "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish" address and see what ridiculousness you can spot!

This year, for example, we had some ominous warnings.
Some sweet messages, too.
Some, silly.
Why not play a game of catch or two? Or perhaps a round of cards, if you'd like?
Here's a bold statement to the world that you know what? I don't think we'd like to grow up, after all.
And here we have a simple plea for help. (No really, please help.)
Some of us brought it back to grade school. Was this not the BEST part of second grade?! 
Others decided to envision the future.
A couple of my diver friends decided Speedos were more appropriate. One of them may or may not have an Olympic medal too. Do you think that was a prouder moment than this one?
Can't forget all those who showed up in onesies. There were a LOT. Comfort first, you know?
After shedding the struggle bus because all that yellow spray paint was gettin' to us but also because they were a tad hard to sit in. Can you spot Kylie and Anna as bananas?
The Band (the ULTIMATE definition of weird and wacky) performed one last time for the graduates as we all shed a silent tear or two.

Those were the only Wacky Walkers my parents and my friends' parents caught on camera, but other favorites included my friend Dylan who showed up as a box of Franzia, a group who attached balloons to their back as a homage to Up, and a revealing of our very own resident gossip blogger. Our alternate ideas were: a group of lobsters as someone announced "bring in the dancing lobsters!!" into a megaphone in front of us, and a full recreation of the FRIENDS theme song. Plastic orange couch, boombox blasting I'll Be There For You, and all. But all of that was so much more ambitious, which brought us right back to our true selves: the struggle bus.

And I couldn't end without thanking these three sillies. The road to now wasn't easy, but it was so worth it to have them by my side. I still talk to them every single day, thank goodness –
This one, too. For mother hen-ing me all four years and being so, so kind, always. (And for all of the brunches and mani-pedi dates and European adventures.)
This one gets a special mention. You guys see her here all the time, but did you know that we were randomly assigned as roommates? Didn't even know so much as the other's name before we stepped foot in our room the morning we moved in freshman year, but even without communicating, we brought all matching decor and she had a microwave and I had the fridge, and so began four years' worth of roommatehood and best friendship. Couldn't have done this without her.
And most importantly, them. For everything, everything, everything.
Aw, shucks.

"Coming home" tomorrow is going to be bittersweet. Because "home" really is the right word for this place. It's where we grew up. It's where we began to find ourselves as people. It's where we dreamed. And where some of those dreams were shattered. It's a place that allowed us to embrace our weird, and our inner nerd. It was the place where friends became family.

/sap over.

/pats at eyes.

Happy Friday, y'all.

11 comments

  1. omg this is amazing. i can't believe how many people dressed up!!

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  2. This tradition is so so amazing! I'm obsessed. I didn't even walk at my graduation because I was dreading how boring and stuffy it was (plus I was a transfer student to a small private college and all of my friends were at the big university just across the city). Seriously this is the greatest way to end college.

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  3. This is so awesome!! I love the dancing lobsters idea hahahaha!!

    ....now go pick up your diploma ;-)

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  4. That's an interesting tradition. Ours is for the heads to throw tortillas...super cool, right?! ;) Loved seeing your specia day! Xoxo, ganeeban

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  5. Oh my gosh I had no idea they did this, that is so cool! I love all the creativity! These are such great photos, and memories. Those are what are more important than the diploma right!?

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  6. I love how many people dressed up in awesome costumes!! Congratulations :D

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  7. Aaaw T__T That is so sweet :B Congratulations!!! The last time I graduated was in 2008 so seeing all these things that graduates did during their big day gave me quite the chuckle. Hehe.

    www.deasynoel.com

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  8. Now this is a cool tradition!! Stanford tries so hard to be cool, but those of us in the know that the struggle bus is real.... and that the nerd thing is TRUE! Hope you all had fun at Homecoming!! Now.... GO PICK UP YOUR DIPLOMA!!

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  9. These costumes are hilarious... what a fun tradition! Belated congrats on graduating! I hope you had a fun homecoming weekend!

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  10. This is SO good. I absolutely love how many people dressed up and Struggle Bus?! PERFECTION!

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  11. Such fun...! Wish my alma mater did something more fun, but hey, at least I got to go on stage at Radio City Music Hall...!

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xx Caroline