On Saturday, April 27, 2024, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and family gathered to celebrate our graduating LGBTQIAP+ students at the 2024 Lavender Commencement Ceremony, hosted in the Innovation Studio by the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Multicultural Education (ODIME).
Established in 1995 at the University of Michigan by Ronni Sanlo, Ed.D., a Jewish lesbian who was barred from attending the commencement ceremony of her children due to her sexual orientation, the Lavender Graduation Ceremony was implemented at over 45 colleges and universities around the country by 2001, with Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) joining in 2019.
Lavender Commencement is a celebration that recognizes LGBTQIAP+ students of all races and ethnicities and acknowledges their achievements and contributions to WPI as students who survived the college experience. Lavender is important to LGBTQ+ history. It is a combination of the pink triangle that gay men were forced to wear in concentration camps and the black triangle designating lesbians as political prisoners in Nazi Germany. The LGBTQ+ civil rights movement took these symbols of hatred and combined them to make symbols and color of pride and community.
As part of the ceremony, graduates were given either a rainbow stole, rainbow honor cord, or lavender honor cord, as well as a WPI rainbow pin, to signify their time and accomplishments at WPI. The Student of Distinction Awards, honoring students who have made a significant impact to the WPI community through programming, leadership, and/or advocacy for the LGBTQIAP+ campus community, were also awarded during the ceremony. The Undergraduate Student of Distinction was awarded to Mikaela Enax ’24 and the Graduate Student of Distinction was awarded to Emmaline Raven '24.
The ceremony featured words of wisdom and speeches by President Grace Wang, Zoe Reidinger, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Quinn Sandberg ’25, Vice President of the Alliance, affiliate chapter of oSTEM, Lauren Feldman, Assistant Director for Gender Equity and Sexuality, Janelle Drake ’11, WPI Alum, and Arnold Lane, Jr., Director of Multicultural Education and Community Engagement.
“Today, we come together as an act of radical queer liberation, to recognize the successes and the legacy of our graduating LGBTQIAP+ students. To celebrate the journeys that each of these students has had so far and where they will go next.”
-Lauren Feldman (she/they), Assistant Director for Gender Equity and Sexuality
Thank you to all who were able to attend the Lavender Commencement ceremony and celebrate our Class of 2024 graduates! To the class of 2024, congratulations!
President Grace Wang speaking at Lavender Commencement 2024.
Quinn Sandberg '25, Vice President of the Alliance, speaking at Lavender Commencement 2024.
Professor Zoe Reidinger speaking at Lavender Commencement 2024.
Arnold Lane speaking at Lavender Commencement 2024.
Janelle Drake '11 speaking at Lavender Commencement 2024.
Lavender Commencement 2024
The Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Multicultural Education (ODIME) promotes and oversees all student facing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) learning experiences, programs, services, trainings, and initiatives for WPI.