EMU hosted its fourth annual Lavender Graduation on Friday, May 2, in the Old Common Grounds space (University Commons 177). The event honors LGBTQ+ graduates and alumni and celebrates their unique experiences, achievements, and contributions to the university.
This year, the ceremony recognized 17 graduates. Dr. Kathy Evans, professor of teacher education, and Dr. Heike Peckruhn, associate professor of religious studies, bestowed the graduates with rainbow stoles to wear at Commencement. Cassidy Williams ’25 and Dr. Stephanie D. Powell, assistant professor of Hebrew bible, provided keynote addresses.
The first Lavender Graduation ceremony was celebrated at the University of Michigan in 1995. Dr. Ronni Sanlo began the tradition after being denied to her own children’s graduations because of her sexual identity. Today, more than 200 colleges and universities offer Lavender Graduation ceremonies for their students. The first of these at EMU was held in 2022.
Incoming EMU interim president Rev. Dr. Shannon W. Dycus, vice president for student affairs, equity, and belonging, delivered the welcome and EMU greeting at the ceremony. She shared the history of safe spaces for LGBTQ+ students at EMU, beginning with the off-campus Open Door support group in the mid-’90s and continuing through the creation of Safe Space—a student group pivotal in advocating for EMU’s 2015 hiring policy change that allowed the employment of openly queer faculty and staff. Since its inaugural ceremony in 2022, EMU’s Lavender Graduation has honored 65 graduates and alumni over the past four years.
“To our graduates today, you’ve done something extraordinary,” Dycus said. “You’ve navigated a world that has not always made space for you. You’ve pursued knowledge in classrooms that didn’t always reflect your identity, claiming the right for your visibility, and still you rose. You showed up, you spoke up, and you pushed forward.”
Williams, who graduated with degrees in music and education licensure (PreK-12), likened life’s journey to a road with bends and guardrails, lots of potholes, and that “one stretch of construction the county swears will be finished by summer.” She advised graduates to lean into uncertainty and embrace change with open arms, even when it might be stressful or terrifying.
“Learn to live with your mistakes and the embarrassing moments that keep you up at night,” Williams said. “Learn to live with the people who love you and learn to live civilly with the people who don’t. Learn what helps you and learn what harms you. Learn your strengths and your weaknesses. Learn to recognize your strengths and to not back away or undermine your worth.”
Powell, who joined the EMU faculty at the start of the 2024-25 academic year, shared her journey in finding a welcoming community where she felt belonging. She had come out as a lesbian before applying to graduate school and knew she wanted to attend a seminary where she could be her authentic self and be accepted by her teachers and peers. She found that community at Chicago Theological Seminary, where she earned her master of divinity.
“Each of you is about to embark on new adventures with many new choices in front of you,” she said. “That may be continuing your education or beginning a new job, it might be choosing a new place to live, starting a family, traveling, starting a business. You have a right to choose the people, the places, and experiences that will allow you to be who you are. You have the right to live in a community where you find the freedom to live to your full self.”
The ceremony also featured a moment of solidarity, silence, and visibility for those who are not out, nor will ever be out.
Dr. Kathy Evans delivered opening remarks. Indigo Gott ’24 served as emcee. Riley Quezada ’24, Cassidy Williams ’25, Emma Nord ’25, and Canyon Penner ’25 performed music.
View the photo album from the event.
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