Every year, seniors are given a blank canvas on their graduation cap to decorate it to their liking. These caps range from a simple logo of the college they will attend to, a reflection of their high school experience, or a celebratory phrase on their special day. Take a look at a few of the many eye-catching caps from this year.
Amir Shakirov chose to honor Omar Hussain on his graduation cap. He said, “I put Omar’s football number because he was a close friend of mine, so it means a lot to me.”
He added, “It’s meaningful because I’m graduating from high school and I get to honor a friend I’ve known for so long.”
Gildardo Vega, also known as BabyG, wanted to “keep it simple” with his graduation cap. He had his uncle draw the graffiti-esque design, and then Vega traced over the sketch with paint markers.
“I’m BabyG, everybody at this school knows me like that.”
Vega is heading to San Jose State University in the fall, and included this in small print within the drawing of his artist name. Vega’s cap also featured large BabyG bubble letters—“I’m BabyG, everybody at this school knows me like that,” he said.
Katherine Ahn’s bedazzled Cornell cap reflected the beaming sun from across the field. She bedazzled the cap herself—which took ten hours—but her favorite part about it was how “it is really glittery.”
She said, “I’ve worked really hard to get good grades and get into Cornell, and I feel like this day and cap is a reflection of that.”
Galilea Esquivel’s graduation cap had an intricate design with red roses, a white bow, the Virgin Mary, and the phrase, “Con la gracia de dios y padres, lo logré,” which translates to “From the blessing of God and my parents, I did it.”
“From the blessing of God and my parents, I did it.”
She said, “My inspiration was my parents, and where they came from. They immigrated to America, and didn’t come from anything. I feel happy and proud because graduating is something I did for them and me.”
Frank Ocean made an appearance at M-A graduation. Not in person, but on Jonathan Madrigal’s graduation cap. Madrigal drew the cover of Ocean’s “Blonde” album, which, he said, “got me over a lot of rough patches.”
Madrigal also honored Hussain on his graduation cap, putting his number on the side. “Whenever I could, I just made sure to go that extra step and not doubt myself, which I did here,” he said.
Angela Maldonado’s cap included a sea of pink flowers with a few gold butterflies landing on top, and “Class of ‘24” written in glittery pink letters. She said, “I did it with my friends, which was the most important part.”
She explained, “My favorite part about the cap is the flowers and butterflies. Especially the butterflies, because to me they represent a caterpillar coming out of the cocoon, and blooming into a butterfly.”
To see more moments from graduation, click here.
