Celebrating Virtual Graduation

Making your virtual graduation the best it can be.

Congratulations! You did it!

Graduation is a time to celebrate your accomplishments, and ceremony or not, you’re still going to do that. While you may not get to walk across the stage or celebrate in person, it is still YOUR day and we want you to feel accomplished.

Now you may be asking yourself, “How can I make virtual graduation special?” Don’t worry, since you had to do all the heavy thinking to graduate, we’ve already gone ahead and brainstormed a few ideas for you. So, here are six virtual graduation celebration ideas to make your day special.

Send Graduation Announcements

Sending graduation announcements are more important than ever as you most likely will not be able to have a graduation party. Graduation marks an important milestone in your life, and your family and friends want to celebrate with you.

You can make your own announcements, or discover a wide range of fancy-looking announcements already available at Herff Jones. Want to say more than just words? No problem. With HJSmartShare you can attach a QR code sticker to your announcements, and when the recipient scans it with their smartphone, they get a personalized video from you. Each QR code can get its own video, so this way grandma and your best friend do not have to receive the same message.

Take Pictures in Your Cap and Gown

Just because you are not having an in-person ceremony does not mean you can’t take pictures. This is a day worth remembering! In the modern-day world of smartphones, having your own photoshoot is almost a weekly occurrence. Enlist your parents or siblings to be your personal photographer for the day and get great shots of you in your cap and gown. Pictures last a lifetime, and you’ll want to remember that moment. And don’t forget to share these with the world on your favorite social platform.

Dress Up for Your Virtual Graduation

This day is only going to come once in your lifetime. Make the day more memorable by having the whole family dress up as if you were going in-person. This will make the event seem more “real” rather than sitting around in your pajamas. Don’t forget to do a screen grab, or get a picture with your name on the screen! Finally, when the ceremony is done, order take out or ask your folks to have your favorite foods on hand to celebrate this major accomplishment.

Decorate your Room in School Colors

Do arts and crafts relax you? Or at least do you enjoy a fun project? Decorating your room or living room (or wherever you will attend your graduation ceremony) will make the day feel more real. Hang up streamers or banners or cut out stars in your school colors. Print out (or draw) a picture of your school’s mascot. You can even hang pictures of your favorite high school memories. Don’t have paper in your school’s colors? Use the math worksheets you cannot wait to get rid of and write across them or cut out letters. This could be even more satisfying than simply throwing them in the recycling bin. Decorate the room how YOU want to and enhance your graduation experience.

Zoom or FaceTime with your Friends

Your graduation not only celebrates your accomplishments, but also marks the end of your childhood. More than likely you and your friends will be spread out across the country at different colleges or jobs come the end of your summer. Set up a group Zoom or FaceTime call and get emotional about your time together. Graduation day is normally emotional, but it may not feel real or emotional while watching your ceremony from a screen. But if you reminisce with your friends, we guarantee there will be tears. Each friend can create a slideshow of your favorite pictures and memories to share with the group.

Graduation Parades

While it’s not wise to host a “normal” graduation party, your loved ones can certainly celebrate your accomplishments from a distance. Set up a graduation parade in your neighborhood and have your friends and family drive by. This is a great way to celebrate with others without putting yourself or others at risk. Play graduation music and make your way across the lawn to shake your parents’ hands or even your pet’s paw. Wear your cap and gown and with the honking and yelling coming from your friends and family, it will almost be like you are at the real thing.

Don’t let COVID define your graduation for you. You can make this the most memorable graduation ever by making it YOURS. If anything, a virtual graduation means you don’t have to play by the “normal” rules of graduation. So have so fun and make it what YOU want it to be.

SHOP GRADUATION NOW