As the year comes to an end, students are rushing around to finish the semester with a bang. For some approaching graduates, they honor their time by decorating their graduation caps and sharing memories. 

Anna Vincel, a fourth-year biology graduate this December, said she fell in love with the campus and adores being a Cardinal. 

“I am eager to get my life started, and I’m proud to share with others that Ball State was a stepping stone for me to get there,” said Anna Vincel via email. 

Vincel’s graduation cap exemplified her love of being a Cardinal and her enjoyable years at Ball State. Like many, Vincel connected with those around her, especially those she frequently had classes with. 

“I know that many of these girls will be lifelong friends, and the long hours spent in the science building will be memories I cherish for a lifetime,” Vincel said via email.

Her time with friends was often spent studying, though she admits it was also a great time to chat and catch up. With her college experience coming to an end, her last hurrah was decorating her cap with Charlie Cardinal in gems, to add “a bit of sparkle.” 

Though she’s moving back to her hometown in Bloomington, the home of Indiana University, she said she will always be a Cardinal at heart. This is exactly what she wanted to show off to those who would see her cap, as well as what she would like to remember years from now when she looks back at this piece of her history.

For some, like Anna Vincel, decorating their graduation cap is exciting and an important keepsake to remember their college years. Just a quick search of Google leads you to hundreds, if not thousands, of pictures of those who have decorated their graduation caps with images that reflect what is important to them. 

For others, their cap may be an extension of not just themselves, but also their studies and future career. Much like Amelia Guyer, a fourth-year biology major with a minor in health and humanities. 

“Through my design, I am hoping to express my passion to help others through a healthcare profession,” Guyer said via email. 

She designed her cap with pink, red and white flowers, in addition to a stethoscope. The colors represent her love of pink as well as Ball State’s school colors. 

“I currently work as a patient care technician at my hometown hospital, so the stethoscope in the center of my cap encapsulates both this job and my future health career,” Guyer said via email. “Lastly, I decided to add ‘future physician assistant’ to my cap because I will be a practicing physician assistant within the next three years!”

Guyer, like Vincel, also decorated her cap as a keepsake for herself in the future. 

“I intend to hold on to my cap for many years, so by decorating it, I have captured my current style and interests to look back on, which I know I will appreciate greatly in the future,” Guyer said via email. 

Although Kaylee Kern is a first-year media major with a concentration in sports media production,  she takes senior photos for many college students. Over the last two months, she booked over 60 sessions covering senior graduation and other life events, like birthdays. In fact, she took Anna Vincel and Amelia Guyer’s senior photos. Vincel used her decorated cap as a prop in her photos to show off her personality, which Kern described as bubbly and outgoing. 

Despite only being a first-year, Kern already knows she wants to design her graduation cap when the time comes. 

“I wish I could [in high school] … we were not allowed to decorate our caps,” Kern said.

Kern plans to join the group of creative graduates in decorating her cap when the time comes for her to cross the state at Ball State. 

She is thinking of noting her love of photography by adding a camera or involving her love of sports, if she signs on to be a team photographer. 

While Kern will stay in college for the next few years, Guyer has plans to work in her position at the hospital for a few more months before heading to Dayton, Ohio to begin her Masters in Physician Assistant Practice. Vincel will also be continuing her studies as she applies to dental school for the next cycle.

Contact Arianna Lessner with comments at arianna.lessner@bsu.edu. Contact Ellie Marker with comments via email at eliana.marker@bsu.edu.

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