Graduates showcase their college journeys with mortarboard decor

KOKOMO, Ind. - A lot of late-night study sessions made Brandon Maish's Indiana University Kokomo degree possible.

As he celebrated Commencement Thursday with his classmates, he commemorated his journey to degrees in history and political science, and criminal justice, by decorating his mortarboard, or cap, making it uniquely his in a sea of black-robed graduates.

He was one of many in the more than 400 graduates who showed off their creativity by sporting unique decorations, ranging from flowers to glittery rhinestones, with messages both funny and poignant. Some were personal, with tributes to family members, while others referenced movie or television quotes.

With cardstock printed with vinyl, Maish created the Red Bull energy drink logo, with the words "Red Bull Gets Deeegrees," a play on the slogan "Red Bull Gives you Wiiings."

"That was my crutch when I was going through the semesters, getting in those late-night studies," said Maish, from Macy. He used his mother's Cricut to create his design and was pleased with the outcome.

"I love it," he said. "I thought it was a funny saying to put on it for graduation."

His future will continue to require energy drinks, as he plans to earn a Master of Public Administration from IU Kokomo, and then go to law school.

Shyzeadriea Prater, Kokomo, leaned into her love of the Hello Kitty character Cinnamoroll, featuring the chubby white puppy with a tail curled like a cinnamon roll on her cap, along with the words "Master of the Mind, Maker of Change."

"I'm getting my Master's of Mental Health Counseling, so I wanted to allude to that, and 'Maker of Change' because I came into this field to influence other's lives and make them better," she said.

She went into a craft store with a Pinterest idea in mind and changed her design completely when she started picking materials, wanting her decorations to best represent the new chapter in her life.

"It means the world to me to be graduating today," she said. "I'm so happy that I finished and am seeing all my accomplishments being shown off. I'm really proud of myself for making it here."

Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduate Abigail Badgett kept her design simple and used a quote she will use every workday.

"My design is, 'Hi, I'm Abigail, I'll be your nurse today,'" said Badgett from Delphi. "It's what I'm going to say to my patients every day when I work, and I wanted to use that for what my next journey in life will be. With all the hard work I went through in school I wanted to be sure I put that into my cap."

She added that the gold edging symbolizes coronary arteries, since she works in a PCU ICU and has many cardiac patients.

Badgett is happy to have earned her degree.

"It means everything," she said. "It means a future for myself, a future for my future family. It means being able to support myself. I'm proud of where I came from."

Alyssa McGann incorporated elements of her time earning her degree in biological and physical sciences, with vinyl stickers of bacteria from immunology and microbiology, physics equations, a microscope, Bunsen burner, beakers, and test tubes, and DNA.

It also includes the words "Keep Calm and Put Your Lab Coat On," which she felt symbolized her journey.

"That was me all semester with organic chemistry," the Noblesville resident said. "I was freaking out, and I was like 'OK, calm down, put your lab coat on and do the work and things will fall in place.'"

Graduating puts her one step closer to her goal of applying to medical school - but she's going to miss her people at IU Kokomo.

"I've gained a lot of friends here, especially with the faculty," McGann said. "They are all so nice and friendly. I'm going to miss them once I graduate."

Jaycee Mitchell's inspiration for her cap was also her motivation to keep working toward her degree when it was hard. She used a Cricut to create a picture of her son Remi, 3, along with the words "I wanted to give up but I remembered who was watching."

She was excited Remi was in the audience with their family to see her earn her degree in general studies.

"I've been going to college since 2018 when I graduated from high school," said Mitchell, from Kokomo, adding that she dropped out during COVID, but came back to make a better life for her son.

"I am a first-generation graduate, so it was important for me to have him see Mommy graduate," she said. "This is a really big accomplishment."

Simon Murray's cap referenced The Lion Ling and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, with the quote "Your King Has Returned."

Murray, from Kokomo, said it symbolizes his participation in Student Government Association first at a community college and then at IU Kokomo, as well as his future with his accounting degree.

"It means I'm taking my next steps in life, into my future, whatever path that goes toward," he said.

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