'Really thankful'

The telltale signs of spring commencement beginning at Purdue University are present in the form of students dressed in caps, gowns and golden stoles lining the sidewalk of North University Street.

The line extending down the street begins at the Purdue Armory where graduating students of the College of Health and Human Sciences were directed to check in.

Andrea “Andie” Vandecar waits patiently in line, donning pink shoes and a decorated mortarboard with the words “Good Luck, Babe” written across it. Vandecar studied psychological sciences and studio design and is from Cedar Lake, Indiana.

“My mom, dad, and partner of seven years are here to celebrate with me. They came in this morning. I got ready with them, and they dropped me off here so that I wouldn’t have to walk from Ross-Ade,” Vandecar said.

In light of a looming graduation ceremony, Vandecar reflected on what she will miss at Purdue.

“I’m going to miss not having a full-time job,” she said with a laugh. “I really did like all the clubs that were here. We had a lot of really cool ones like the Disabled Student Union and the Queer Student Alliance.”

A memorable class for Vandecar was one concerning Black radical thought. Toward the end, they completed a collaborative project with the Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center.

“We did a whole project that you walk through in dedication to alliances between both communities. That was really fun,” Vandecar said. “With my project, I specifically addressed racism within J-fashion and how we could both be better allies.”

After graduating, Vandecar plans on going home to celebrate Mother’s Day with her family.

“I’m going to start a new job working at TCS which pays $40,000 a year, so, not bad!”

After completing the check-in process, the processional of students made their way to Elliott Hall where friends, family, and faculty were waiting for them.

After the ceremony

Families patiently waited outside Elliott Hall, many with camera straps hanging around their necks or floral bouquets in hand.

The graduates rushed out, and The Bell Tower and Engineering Fountain became a sea of black and gold. Families embraced and snapped pictures.

Isabella Morello and Abigail Sullivan, each newly awarded her bachelor of science degree in kinesiology, stood in the middle of the crowd waving down their friends.

“I’m so excited to graduate,” Morello said. “I’m very proud. My favorite memories were probably just meeting all my friends here.”

Several of Morello’s friends, also graduates, ran up to her.

“I would say Purdue has been the perfect place to call home the past four years,” Sullivan added. “I’m just really proud to call myself a Boilermaker alumni, and I’m really thankful for the people I met along the way.”

Alicia McKenna, a graduate with a bachelor’s degree in retail management and a minor in Japanese, said the whole thing hasn’t hit her yet.

“I don’t know when it will,” she said. “I’m from Massachusetts, so I think as soon as I leave Indiana it’ll hit because I don’t know when I’ll be back. I just feel glad I don’t have to do school anymore.”

She turned toward her friend, Catelyn Poorman, a graduate with a bachelor’s in retail management. They nodded and laughed in agreement.

“I’ll second that on the no more schoolwork,” Poorman said. “I definitely think it’s gonna hit maybe when I start my big adult job.”

When asked what advice they would give their freshman selves, McKenna and Poorman both said: Get involved.

“I know this is cliche, but get involved and I think that you really won’t regret it,” McKenna said.

McKenna said she had joined two clubs this school year and regretted not joining them sooner, as to build deeper relationships.

McKenna and Poorman were both in the fashion and retail club, Poorman said. McKenna was the president.

“It was just so fun to sit around with the girlies,” Poorman said.

She said the club was one of her favorite memories, along with hanging out with friends, going to football and basketball games and sledding in the winter.

“Another thing I would probably give as advice is to not be scared to speak up, and don’t be scared of change,” she said.

There were many times Poorman wanted to change her major or try something new.

“I didn’t have the courage to be like, oh, I can’t actually change this,” she said.