The Social Work Graduation Celebration is an annual event held on campus at the UW in Seattle.  It’s a grand event – most graduates wear regalia, awards are presented, a prominent keynote address is shared, and each graduate is individually presented to the audience as a recipient of a UW social work degree (BASW, MSW, or PhD). Graduates from all SSW programs are honored. This is a smaller, more personal and very popular event in which the majority of our graduates participate.  Learn more about the event on your canvas page.

• The School of Social Work Graduation Celebration 2025 will be held on Thursday, June 12th, 2025 at 7pm at Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion on campus.
• Eligible students include those who graduated in Autumn 2024 or Winter 2025, Spring 2025, or projected to graduate in Summer 2025.  
• Students will have to arrive an hour prior to the event.  More details will be provided closer to the celebration.
• Tickets are not required for guests to attend. 
• Make sure to read the Graduation Celebration FAQs below for details on the event, regalia, and other logistics, but here are a few highlights:
  • Thoroughly read all email communication you receive regarding the SSW Graduation Celebration event, including “day of” information that will be shared just before the event.  If you feel you’ve missed a communication, we will be linking the announcements below so they are easy to find. Students who graduated in Autumn or Winter will be sent all of the same communications.
  • We will ask in our RSVP how you’d like your first and last name to appear in our SSW graduation program.  If we don’t hear from you, we will use your preferred first name and legal last name as it is noted in our SSW Database (what appears on your practicum evals, etc.)
  • Wearing regalia (cap, gown, hood) is optional for those participating in the Graduation Celebration. The School of Social Work has a limited number of caps and gowns available to borrow on a first come-first served basis. You may request to borrow in the Graduation RSVP survey. Students who would like to purchase regalia should order through the UW Commencement website: http://www.washington.edu/graduationLinks to an external site. 

All graduation celebrations are student led and supported by staff, faculty, and campus partners. The Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity and the Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center invite you to join and celebrate the Class of 2025. These graduation celebration events are open to all UW students and recognize the success of students and their families, as well as celebrate their multi-identity and multicultural heritage. Learn more at the Community Graduation Celebrations webpage.

• Undocu Graduation Celebration on 5/23/2025 
• Filipino Graduation Celebration on 6/9/2025 
• Latine Graduation Celebration on 6/12/2025 
• Lavender Graduation Celebration on 6/10/2025 
• Pasifik Graduation Celebration on 6/12/2025 
• Black Graduation Celebration 6/8/2025 

The SSW BIPOC Affinity Group invites you to our upcoming celebration of SSW grads! Join us on June 10^th from 11am -1pm at the SSW Room 305. Please RSVP by June 5^th! 

There will be a short, informal program honoring our graduates.  Light refreshments provided and some fun materials for those who want to do a little cap decorating (bring your own materials if you’ve got something started already!).

About us: This affinity group holds space to amplify the experience of SSW students, staff, and faculty who self-identify as BIPOC, including Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Brown, Asian & Pacific Islander, Mixed & Multiracial folks. This is an informal, student-centered group, voluntarily supported by staff and faculty at the School of Social Work. Affinity groups at UW SSW are generally aimed at community building and fostering connection, these groups are open to all SSW students.

Students, this end of year social is an opportunity for UW first-generation graduate students to connect with one another, recognize their milestones, and enjoy free food and refreshments!

The event is hosted by The Graduate School’s office of Graduate Student Affairs. Our programing is open to all UW graduate students who share the goal of promoting a supportive environment for everyone. Send questions to uwgsa@uw.edu.

All UW international graduate students are invited to join this event to celebrate accomplishments and graduation with peers. Featured speakers—university leaders and current international graduate students—will share about their experiences in higher education and how their unique journeys led them to where they are today. Whether or not you are graduating in the coming years, come and join our celebration!

Dear 2025 Graduating SSW Students – 

The UW School of Social Work is excited to honor our 2025 graduates at the Alaska Airlines Arena on Thursday, June 12, 2025, at 7:00pm. We are anticipating a large in-person event (no tickets required). We will also be live-streaming the event that evening.  

There is a lot of additional information about the SSW Celebration about next steps, how to RSVP and ask to borrow caps/hoods/gowns, and how to help shape the event for your graduating class. 

As for upcoming deadlines/events, please see below for more info about:

• April 30th SSW RSVP/Survey submission deadline; fill out asap, especially if you’re wanting to borrow a cap/gown/hood. Please fill out the RSVP even if you’re not planning to attend.
• May 1-19th – Order caps, hoods and gowns (do early – put May 1^st on your calendar!) and May 19th deadline to register for UW Ceremony. More info here.
• May 28th-June 1st – Pick up caps/gowns/hoods at UW BookStore
• June 12th – SSW Graduation Celebration at 7pm (students arrive by 6pm)
• June 14th – UW Commencement at 1:30pm (students arrive by 12:30pm)

This is the first of our graduation communications.  It’s a little confusing because you will note that there are different processes for the UW Commencement and the SSW Celebration.  There is a timeline and checklist that will help you navigate through the many dates and deadlines on our SSW Graduation FAQ page.  We’ll also post all of our graduation announcements on that same Canvas page so everything is all in the same place.

And, if you’re finishing all of your degree requirements in June and haven’t requested your degree yet, please review these directions and submit your degree request, run your degree audit and fill out your mandatory exit survey.  Please note that once you submit your degree request, it actually won’t be approved until after spring grades are posted. 

Summer 2025 MSW graduating students should follow these instructions beginning June 23rd. PhD students should work with Shirley on finishing all requirements.

Looking forward to celebrating with you soon, 

SSO Student Services

MSW students, note that this academic year’s SSW Graduation Celebration is scheduled for 7pm on Thursday, June 12^th , 2025, at the Alaska Airlines Arena.  

Keynote Speaker Nominations:

Each year for the SSW Graduation Celebration, SSW Students, Faculty, and Staff nominate a speaker to provide a keynote address. Please submit your nominations for a Keynote Speaker at: https://forms.office.com/r/u4ATmzhDwn. Nominations must be submitted by Monday. February 3^rd by 9 am.

Student Performances:

We also will be asking for nominations and self-nominations for students who would like to perform during the celebration (generally a song, spoken word or similar activity.)  We generally have 2-3 students across all SSW programs participating in this way.  Please look around at your cohort and think about who might be good to do this and we’ll be asking in the RSVP survey that usually goes out in March.

The School of Social Work Graduation Celebration

The UW Commencement Ceremony:

Looking forward to seeing you at Graduation in June!

Photo Booth available (May 27-31 and June 3-4)

Brooks, the SSW Media Services guy, and Student Services will be setting up a self-serve photo booth with an SSW theme in the first floor gallery.  There will be a backdrop, lighting, a tripod to attach your phone and some props to use during that time period.  We encourage you to bring family/friends to take photos or come with other SSW students.  Please leave the area neat – props in container, lights turned off. 

Dear Graduating Students,

If you haven’t had the chance, we would like to remind you of an opportunity to submit PowerPoint slides for graduation to honor your family and peers.

For 20 minutes before the event starts, we will play a rotating show of slides submitted by the graduating students.  We suggest each student fill their slide(s) with photos of family and/or peers, quotes, messages of appreciation, and their art. We also encourage representation of first gen status, cultural background, and other important identities you’d like to share, or virtually anything that would be seen as interesting, inspiring and appropriate for the wide range of ages and cultures of family and friends in attendance. Graduating students may submit up to 2 slides.

The deadline to submit slides is 5/26 at 11:59PM

Guidelines for slide submission:

• Please use a horizontal orientation and, if photos, the resolution needs to be at least 1280 x 720 if it will be the full screen (the slides will be projected behind the stage on a large screen.)  The screen will be a 16:9 (widescreen style).
• Please name your file as follows: LastNameFirstName_ slide 1 (and 2 if you do a second slide).
• By submitting photos, you agree to the following:
  * You have received consent from all the participants in the photo you submit. The SSW, UW, and Office of Student Services are not liable for photo submissions that are displayed.
• The photos you submit are your own personal property or you have received authorization to have them displayed at the SSW Graduation Celebration. For pictures that are not your own, the author’s name must be cited. 
• We reserve the right to not use all slides submitted.  
• Link to submit:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfJcnIS3Q3ES7UO-l_yjjwj4u-fh0rVrlQs3mKobaXYr2GvCA/viewformLinks to an external site.

Problems logging into the Google submission form?

If you are having difficulty accessing the form, please make sure that you are logged in using your MyUW email. You may need to use an Incognito window to sign into your UW account if you have a personal google account. If you still cannot access the form, you may need to turn on the G-suite for your UW email first. Click on this URL., login with your UWNetID, and then under UW G Suite, change account status from Inactive to Active.  Still questions? Email mswadvising@uw.edu.

School of Social Work Graduation Celebration (June 6th, 7p)

Learn more on your canvas page.

UW 149th Commencement (June 9th, 12:30p)

Learn more on your canvas page.

Black Graduation and Kente Ceremony (June 2nd, 7-9pm)

We are excited to invite students from all three UW campuses to registration/RSVP for the 2024 Black Graduation & Kente Ceremony. This year’s ceremony will be in-person on Sunday, June 2nd at the Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Doors open at 6:15pm. This year’s theme is The Blackprint.

Registration closes on May 10, 2024. Anyone who registers after May 10th is not guaranteed to be in the program or to receive a stole.  Contact uwblackg@uw.edu with questions. 

Lavender Graduation (June 4th, 5:30-7pm)

Lavender Graduation is an annual ceremony conducted on numerous campuses to honor lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning students to acknowledge their achievements and contributions to the University.

Check back here on 4/24 for the RSVP! More info here.

We invite our BIPOC Community members to RSVP for our June 5^th Grad Celebration!  We would love to have folks RSVP by May 30^th so we can ensure catering counts are accurate.

We’ll be providing a light lunch but would love for staff/faculty to come with something sweet to contribute to this community event.  For those who are able, please bring a dessert/sweet ending to honor our grads – store bought treats are welcomed!

More about the group:

This affinity group holds space for folks who self-identify as BIPOC, including Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Brown, Asian & Pacific Islander, Mixed & Multiracial folks.  Our general goals/intentions for our space:

• Carve out space to center the BIPOC student experience
• Offer mutual support
• Build community and create space to connect around hobbies/interests
• Provide resources and self-development opportunities for members

We also encourage our BIPOC community members to join our email listserv to stay in touch!  We will be regrouping at least once over the summer to plan for next year – RSVP if you are interested in joining these community efforts!

2023 End-of-Year Celebration for International Graduate Students

Friday, June 2, 2023, 5 pm – 6:30 pm

wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House
Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/kTRqcaHUJVGuPVEY9 | Campus Map: https://www.washington.edu/maps/#!/int)

Registration required: https://forms.gle/zWdjdm6zBFFifxyL6. Please register you and your guests no later than 5pm on Wednesday, May 31.

All international graduate students are invited to join this event to celebrate accomplishments with peers. Featured speakers—university leaders and current and former international graduate students—will share about their experiences in higher education and how their unique journeys led them to where they are today. Whether or not you are graduating in the coming years, come and join us to celebrate your success.

Dinner and beverages are provided. Friends and families are welcome.

**The first 50 students who show up for this event–and who are graduating in spring and summer 2023–will receive a gift bag with UW-themed gifts.**

This event is co-sponsored by the Center for International Relations and Cultural Leadership Exchange (CIRCLE) and the Office of Graduate Student Affairs in The Graduate School. Send questions to Ziyan Bai, CIRCLE Assistant Director of Graduate Programs and Operations, at baiziyan@uw.edu.

UW Year End Celebration for First-Generation Graduate Students
12 pm – 1:15 pm, HUB 145, Seattle campus
This event is free.
RSVP: https://forms.office.com/r/WQa7UdxCc7

UW Seattle calendar entry:
https://www.washington.edu/calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D166942216

Hosted by Graduate Student Affairs in The Graduate School, this end of year event is an opportunity for UW *first-generation graduate students to connect with one another, recognize their milestones and achievements, and enjoy food and refreshments! Attendees’ family and friends are welcome, as well as staff and faculty who support first-gen graduate students.

*A first-generation graduate student is in the first generation of their family to earn a Bachelor’s degree—and currently working towards a graduate degree.

Details:

• Welcome remarks from Graduate Student Affairs in The Graduate School
• Networking activities with your peers
• Take selfies at the selfie booth
• Have your name entered in a drawing for a chance to win one of 5 Visa gift cards
• Enjoy free food and refreshments

Send questions to uwgsa@uw.edu.

Submit a processional slide, an optional creative slide, and an optional video clip here. All items are due on May 20^th!

If you are having difficulty accessing the form, please make sure that you are logged in using your MyUW email. You may also need to use an Incognito window to sign into your UW account if you have a personal google account. If you still cannot access the form, you may need to turn on the G-suite for your UW email first. Click on this URL, login with your UWNetID, and then under UW G Suite, change account status from Inactive to Active.

Processional Slide– This will be your individual graduate slide for the SSW Graduation Celebration.

The items we need are:

• Processional Photo (Please save the file in this format LastNameFirstName_PP)
• How you’d like your name to appear in the event
• Quote/Message (no more than 200 characters)
• Recording of your name to help reader with pronunciation (optional)
• Submit everything here by May 20th

Ways to get your processional photo:

• The Registration/Order form hosted by the Office of Commencement which includes ordering of cap and gown (and other regalia items) is now closed. If you still want to take photos in your cap & gown and you are able to come to campus tomorrow, we still have some slots for the Photo Booth. Please check this link for available timeslots.
• There is also a cap and gown filter you can access Please select your degree for the appropriate regalia and upload a photo of yourself. You will be able to adjust/scale your photo to fit the filter. Please remember to save your photo so that you can submit it to our google form, above.

Graduating students do not need to RSVP for the SSW Graduation Celebration as you are all automatically included in our event.

Here is the event link to share in advance to your friends and family: https://socialwork.uw.edu/alumni-friends/graduation. Please note that the event itself will not be live until Sunday, June 13^th at 1:30pm, however, there may be relevant graduation information displayed leading up to the day of the event.

Don’t forget that we have Padlets where you can post some love and appreciation to SSW peers, staff, and faculty!

• BASW Students, Faculty and Staff: https://padlet.com/linm9/sr6pnxp2cnmuofwa
• MSW Students, Faculty and Staff: https://padlet.com/linm9/g0ovpixshs6o9pfu
• PhD Students, Faculty and Staff:  https://padlet.com/ltibebe1/qf1mn23m8svz2al3

Just click on the plus sign in the lower right corner and leave your good wishes/appreciation.  You may sign or leave it anonymous!

If you have any questions regarding the SSW Graduation Celebration, please don’t forget that we do have a SSW Graduation Celebration FAQs Page. We’ll send another communication in early June with directions for accessing the event and any other last minute details.

If your question(s) aren’t answered here, please feel free to email us at sswstsrv@uw.edu

Block out the date: Minecraft graduation ceremony will show off UW group’s detailed Seattle build

https://www.geekwire.com/2021/block-date-minecraft-graduation-ceremony-will-show-off-uw-groups-detailed-seattle-build/

The Age PRIDE Center and SSW Multigen Faculty invite you to attend our end of year celebration with the last Innovations in Aging talk this Thursday, May 27th from 12:30 – 1:30pm.
Zoom Meeting ID: 976 5911 8287

Friday June 5, 2021 at 4pm PDT

The Filipino Graduation Celebration is an opportunity for graduates to celebrate their accomplishments amongst friends and family while highlighting the Filipino culture that’s a part of their lives. This year, Filipino Graduation will be a virtual celebration that allows us to connect no matter where you are on Saturday, June 5 at 4pm PST. Graduates participating in this year’s celebration will be able to pick up their grad package on select days during the week leading up to the celebration. For more information, please contact Cicero Delfin: cdelfin@uw.edu.

Saturday June, 12, 2021 at 4:00 pm

The 21tst Annual RAZA Graduation Celebration honors the accomplishments of Chicanx and Latinx graduating students in the spirit and traditions of Raza culture. Students can participate in a digital yearbook and sign up for a Graduation Package (limited inventory). Graduation Packages will be available for pick up on select dates the week before at the Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center. A pre-recorded virtual graduation will be available for viewing on Saturday, June 12, 2021 beginning at 4 PM via YouTube.

Contact: Magdalena Fonseca mikese@uw.edu

Malo lava, maligayang bati, vinaka vaka levu, ho’omaika’i ana, kumplementi, talamonu atu, and congratulations to all of you for all the work you’ve put in to get this far! As we are closing in on the end of the year, we just need some additional information from all of you to make this year’s PI Grad special! Please complete this survey by Friday, May 14th to help us honor you all properly. In addition, we have a gift planned for you all, including a custom stole and a print from our very own alumni, Toka Valu. Pictures for the virtual yearbook will be accepted until June 5, 2021. Questions? Email asuwpisc@uw.edu. Survey link: https://forms.gle/NJnn3DvDEDo6oNk2A

Friday, June 11, 2021 6:00 – 8:00 PM PDT

Native Graduation (formally Raven’s Feast) is a celebration for our American Indian and Alaska Native family to get together and recognize the graduates here at UW. Even though we are physically distancing, we remain excited to celebrate the graduating class of 2021, their accomplishments here at UW and send them off with our deepest gratitude. This year, Native Grad will be on Friday June 11, 2021 at 6 PM via Zoom. If you would like to participate in this year’s ceremony and be recognized in the program, You can fill out the RSVP here: Native Graduation 2021 Form. The form is due May 31st to be in the program. Zoom link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/97756546749 

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