Bleed Lavender and Gold at Whittier’s Lav Grad
Ethan Airada | COPY EDITOR
April 09, 2026
Graduation is fast approaching, and the Lavender Graduation Committee is working hard to make sure this year’s celebration stands the test of time.
We had the opportunity to interview Co-Chair, ASWC Senate President and fourth-year Izzy Brookshire about the Lavender Graduation celebration coming this May.
The celebration is meant to commemorate students at the College who are part of the LGBTQ+ community and recognize their contributions to campus.
Brookshire spoke at length about the planning and organizing of the celebration. According to her, the theme for this year is “Dreaming of the Past, Waking Up to the Future.”
The committee wanted the celebration to focus on the graduates’ childhood nostalgia, their dreams and the experiences that brought them to where they are today.
Throughout the year, Brookshire mentioned many “flower runs” from her and fellow Co-Chair Tyler Johnson. These were done to give each graduate a bouquet and decorate the venue.
There were also various other tasks, such as meetings with committee members and contacting keynote speakers, all to make the celebration a truly memorable experience.
“There’s stuff happening every single week just, like, slowly moving it forward. Just, like, lots of office work,” Brookshire explains.
She emphasized the work behind the celebration, assisted by the Office of Inclusive Excellence (OIE) and the structure it provides. This made the process much easier, especially when the theme was chosen.
“The theme is one of the hardest things to figure out early in the semester, so that we have, like, a guiding vision,” Brookshire says, explaining what the committee drew from the theme going into this year’s celebration.
This year, befitting the theme of nostalgia, the committee is looking back on other Lavender celebrations to see what could make this year’s event even better.
One particular aspect they are bringing back is entertainment provided by a drag performer, who previously turned the celebration into a dance.
This year, another drag performance will occur in accordance with the theme, with the performer doing a “storytime” by reading a children’s book to match the atmosphere.
The Lavender Grad committee is particularly excited for this. Brookshire shares, referring to last year, “It was really beautiful. That was one of the best entertainments I’ve seen.”
Another piece of the celebration, inspired by other graduate celebrations, will feature baby photos submitted by graduates and displayed on the walls.
Brookshire is specifically excited to finally be a part of this year’s celebration, now having the opportunity to take part in it instead of simply preparing for it.
“I’m excited to see how it comes together, because there are so many beautiful pieces already that I’ve seen, and seeing it all come to fruition is going to be, like, ‘ha!’”
This year’s celebration will take place on May 6 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., with each graduate receiving a gift for their participation.
Participating graduates may also receive a stole they can wear during commencement later on May 8.
If you’re a Lavender Grad, this is one last hurrah for all of you before graduation: an opportunity to look back on all you’ve done and then wake up to the future with more to come.