Students, staff, friends and pets were all present at the LGBT Center’s annual Pride Graduation, a social event that recognizes graduating seniors in the LGBTA Community.
A brightly decorated room in Baker University Center welcomed LGBTA students to the annual Pride Graduation Saturday evening. The event reminded graduating seniors to continue being their true selves beyond college.
“Be a rainbow in someone else’s clouds,” said Delfin Bautista, director of the LGBT Center, quoting Maya Angelou. “And my tweaked version, be a rainbow in your own clouds.”
After a brief social period, The Wayne Hadley Scholarship Fund LGBT Travel Award was presented to Zipporah Abrams and Morgan Kohls for their continued academic pursuits, and 16 graduating seniors were given rainbow chords to wear at graduation. Each of the students recognized gave a two-minute speech.
“I’m lucky to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard,” said Ryan Vollrath, quoting A.A. Milne.
Kaila Benford, a senior studying theatre performance, was recognized at Pride Graduation with Rue, her emotional support dog and the unofficial office mascot for the LGBT Center.
“I think people like her in the LGBT Center because she brings so much energy, whenever people are upset she reminds them to get out of themselves and enjoy what’s around them,” she said.
Kaila is relatively new to the LGBT community, coming out just this year, but she said she was still able to find a home with the center.
Other students, like Vollrath, have been members since freshman year. Vollrath and several others said they hope to continue work in the LGBT field when they graduate.
“I’m a big fan of restorative and transformative justice so actually changing the way our political and legal system works, not just reforming it, is what I hope to do in the future,” Vollrath said.
Sarah Jenkins, program coordinator for the LGBT and Women’s centers, said she hopes all students recognized Saturday night will remain true to who they are and continue to search for who they will become outside of college.
“I hope that they have experienced a sense of community that they know exists and that they can recreate when they leave college, that they feel affirmed for who they are,” Jenkins said.
Students like Vollrath and Benford said they agree and they plan to continue growing even after their time at Ohio University.
“I’m going to look back with the lens that there was good, there was a whole lot of bad, but it made me who I am,” Vollrath said. “I’m thankful that I was here at the time I was here.”
@TiffanyTouville
tt315212@ohiou.edu
This article appeared in print under the headline "Pride Graduation celebrates future"
