My graduation: Joanne, Hull, 2006

By Joanne, BA(Hons) Economics and Geography, The University of Hull. 2006.

This is the story of my graduation day.

The majority of Hull students graduate at The City Hall in Hull city centre, which is where my ceremony was held. First we met up at a nearby hotel, where we collected our robes and caps, and had our official graduation photos taken. I had a drink with my friends, and then we walked to the City Hall.

We checked in at the welcome desk and were allocated a seat based on our degree type (BA, BSc, MA etc) and then alphabetically by surname. It took about an hour from this point to be seated and to wait for the families (including my Mum and Dad) to be seated.

The ceremony host talked us through the procedure for walking on to the stage and whether we had to bow to the chancellor, or we were allowed to shake her hand. Then the academic procession began.

I was about number 30 on stage, of around 300 graduands, but it never really got dull. When it was my turn, we were quietly asked to stand and join the line, staying in order so the host knew who we were. On my turn, I nervously walked on to the stage and I was allowed to shake the chancellors hand. This is because I got a first! In your face, everyone else. The chancellor was Baroness Virginia Bottomley, and she was lovely. I had a quick look to see if I could see where Mum and Dad had been seated but I couldn't see them. My actual degree certificate was passed to me as I left the stage.

When we had all been up on the stage to accept our degree, the honorary graduands had their moment. We had a few people collecting honorary doctorates, including Dame Kelly Holmes who gave us a speech. She was pretty good actually.

Once it was all over, we all went outside in to the sunshine and I found my parents. My husband, who had been at work, came to meet up with us, and also my Nan and Auntie came to see too. Let that be a warning to anyone who graduates from their local university - you might get every man and his dog turning up. We took some photos of us all in Queen Victoria Square. Some of my friends came to see me. As I was a joint student, some of my friends were in Economics, but I graduated with Geography. Economics had graduated the day before, so it was lovely that they came back to see me and a few others. 

Afterwards, we went back to the university where the geography department had put on a reception buffet. It was boiling hot by then and I was melting in the robes. My husband collected our daughter from the nearby nursery and she came and met all my friends and tutors. She was very excited and loved Mummy's silly hat. The reception was a good chance to say goodbye to the friends I'd made over the last three years.

I look back on my graduation day with happy memories. It was a lovely day which had topped off three years of hard work. The photos I had taken with my friends who'd come to visit me are some of my most treasured.

How was your graduation day? Are you looking forward to yours?