It’s time for the class of 2025 to get creative with arguably their most cherished possession of senior year: their graduation caps!
It has long been a tradition for seniors to decorate their graduation caps with quotes, logos, and designs. They bedazzle them, sew things onto them, glue things together, you name it.
Nyla Graswick, who intends on majoring in marketing at the University of Alabama, has just the plan for her cap this Friday at Commencement.
“I am going to decorate it with rhinestones with my school logo,” said Graswick. “It is going to have the Alabama “A” and “Roll Tide” on it.”
The two most common themes in these caps are college logos and college slogans.
Carson Corona, who will be studying Political Science at George Washington University, is also decorating his cap in accordance with his school’s logo and slogan.
“I plan on putting the George Washington University logo with our slogan ‘Raise High’ on the back of my graduation cap,” said Corona. “I’ll likely also put a gavel on it to represent my intended studies.”
Katie Maffei also wants to include pictures that represent what she wants to major in.
“I want to do ‘CMU’ with red and yellow colors and then a stethoscope to represent nursing,” said Maffei. “I want it all to be bedazzling.”
Similarly to Maffei, future Biology major Hope Bolibruck enjoys the idea of a bedazzled grad cap.
“I am bedazzling the words ‘Hail to Pitt’ onto the top of it,” said Bolibruck.
Though most choose to decorate their caps in accordance with their future plans, it is not uncommon for seniors to take a more personal approach to decorating their headwear. That is the approach that senior Allison Yanchak took on her cap.
“I’m planning on doing something for my love of music and the time I spent at North Allegheny,” said Yanchak. “I’m planning to make my cap look like Mac Miller’s album cover of I Love Life, Thank You.
Also taking the music route, future Music Production major at Berklee Evan Dozier has a simpler take on his cap.
“I’m going to put my school logo, my name, and my major on it,” said Dozier.
Taking a more comedic approach, Chris Petraglia intends on placing a certain internet meme on his hat in accordance with his love for cinematography.
“I’m going to sew on a popular meme that says ‘Absolute Cinema,’” said Petraglia.
Some seniors have even been inspired by their past senior friends’ designs. Addie Graves took the creative liberty to take one of her friend’s designs and add her own twist to it.
“My grad cap idea came from my friend Ella Eisenreich, who graduated last year,” said Graves, “just a little different, though. On the top middle of my cap, I am going to put ‘We Are’ because that is the Penn State slogan.”
The seniors of 2025 are officially off to start their new journeys outside of North Allegheny, and the legacy they leave behind is often hinted at atop their graduation caps — the last souvenir of their high school career.
