¹û¶³´«Ã½

I was clearing out my loft when I found the dress my Granny made me for my graduation from ¹û¶³´«Ã½ back in 1996. I was going to throw it away, but when I tried it on by some miracle it still fitted. That was the sign that I should find the right time to re-wear it and I decided that volunteering at graduation this year could be that time.

So, I signed up to help out. In my day job working in staff communications, I don’t get enough opportunities to think about our students, and everyone raves about how great graduation is, so I thought it was about time I saw it for myself.

I was allocated two roles on different days, ticketing team and seating team. I collected my robes from the Chaplaincy then met my team in the Arts Centre. The ticketing team are the first to meet the graduands (students yet to graduate) and families on the day and hand over their tickets before they collect their robes. I was slightly nervous how this would go after I had heard tales of having to send inappropriately dressed graduands on a mercy dash to Tesco for new outfits.

I met one guy in shorts and a woman in a tracksuit, but fortunately both had planned to change outfits. The toughest part of the job was keeping the parents out of the ticketing and robing area. One mother, who must have left her son to get his degree on his own for three years, was very insistent he would need help collecting two tickets. I reassured her there were plenty of us to help him and left her to pace uncertainly outside.

A few graduands asked if they could get an extra ticket for the hall, but this was all very well organised with pre-booked cinema ticket holders getting spare tickets on a first-come, first-served basis.

It was lovely to be on the door and watch the graduands emerge in their robes – family and friends exclaimed with proud joy to see them robed up and there were a lot of selfies. Most students were really prepared and on time. One super relaxed student did turn up ten minutes before the ceremony, which was heart-stoppingly close, but we got them in. Then there was a final check of the scripts, with one no-show student crossed off the register, and the ceremony could begin.

The next day, my seating team role was simple, to label seats in Butterworth Hall, get the graduands to sit in them, stand up when needed, cross the stage to collect their degree then sit down again.

Many of the graduands needed no help, but some had never even been in the hall before and seemed overwhelmed, so it was good to be on hand with a friendly smile to help them find their seat. I found myself telling quite a lot of women to go carefully on the stairs as they tottered in high heels they had clearly never worn before.

One of the best jobs in the seating team is that of ‘Pusher’ where you literally give the graduand a little push onto the stage when it’s their turn to get their degree.

It was great to watch the ceremony and feel the joy and celebration in the room. The host and Master of Ceremonies Piers Gibbon has infectious enthusiasm for every name he reads out, and he gets families clapping along. When, inevitably, someone’s hat fell off onstage it was celebrated with warm laughter.

Graduation is a well-oiled machine at ¹û¶³´«Ã½ and it was great to see first-hand all the hard work that goes into giving our graduates and their families a day to remember. Thank you to everyone involved– and if you get the chance to volunteer, take it!