graduation caption essay

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61 (Not Annoying) Graduation Captions For The Perfect Instagram Graduation Post

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If you're looking for the cutest graduation captions for your Instagram posts this graduation season, you're in luck! Here are 61 super clever graduation caption ideas! 

Yay!! You did it! Whether you're graduating high school, college, or even middle school, GO YOU! After putting your heart and soul into school for the past four years, you finally made it to graduation.

If you haven't already taken a million senior photos in your cap and gown, grab your phone and go get some pictures for your Instagram. How else is everyone in your life supposed to know that you just accomplished such a big thing?

When I was graduating high school  (and college ) ,  I had the cutesttt photos to post, but I was on the verge of not posting them because I couldn't think of a good caption! I spent hours scrolling social media and finding the best graduation captions of all time. 

No matter what your vibe is, one of these graduation captions will work for your graduation Instagram post! Whether you want something from a popular song, a classic movie, something funny, or even an inspirational quote, I have all of the best captions ever right here. If it's not quite graduation season yet, bookmark this post, so you don't lose all these good graduation caption ideas! 

This post is all about graduation captions.

The best graduation captions:, funny & clever, graduation captions.

I don't know about you, but my favorite graduation posts are the ones with funny graduation captions. Here are some graduation captions funny 2022 grads will definitely use in their Instagram posts this year. 

1. I'd like to thank Quizlet for this one

2. Oh how the tassels have turned

3. That's a wrap

4. & I'm out

5. I copied and pasted this too

6. Smiling because it's over

7. Long story short... the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell

8. High school is like Zayn Malik from 1D. Pretend you're having fun for 4 years, then leave. 

9. Worth the tassel

10. I usually wear a crown, but today this cap will do

11. Mixed feelings, but I'll give it a 20/22

12. No 🎓tion needed

13. Finished senior year just to be a freshman again

14. I spent 12 years of my life for a handshake and a piece of paper

15. Did everyone see that? Because I'm not doing it again.

INSPIRATIONAL

I think most of the graduation captions 2022 grads will be using are short, sweet, and inspirational. Graduating is such a big deal, so why not give yourself a little pat on the back in your graduation caption?

16. On to the next

17. Sweet ending to a new beginning

18. Don't know where I'm going, but it won't be boring

19. Every ending has a new beginning

20. The end of an era

21. Believed she could so she did

22. One step closer

23. This is the beginning of everything you want

24. It always seems impossible until it's done

25. And just like that, we did it 

26. Beauty & Brains

27. Hope I made my younger self proud

28. As Dora once said, WE DID IT

29. Cheers to the grads

30. Officially too cool for school

POP-CULTURE INSPIRED

These are literally my favorite graduation captions Instagram users are obsessed with during grad season . Here are some funny, short graduation captions that reference your favorite movies, TV shows, and artists.

31. I did it. no 🎓

32. The one where she graduates

33. First time graduating... kinda nervous

34. As Snoop Dogg once said, "lastly, I wanna thank me."

35. Graduated but still clueless

36. Get in loser, we're graduating

37. What, like it's hard?

38. Breaking Grad

39. So that was nothing like High School Musical

40. She doesn't even go here... anymore

41. "we did it... we did it joe"

42. "Barbz stay in school"

43. Gotta blast!

44. "Crushed It" -Fat Amy (Pitch Perfect)

45. The limit does not exist (Mean Girls)

46. "Well I am not usually one for speeches so, goodbye" (Parks and Recreation)

SONG LYRICS

There are so many sentimental song lyrics out there; you might as well steal one for your graduation caption this year. Some of these song lyrics are super well known, making it even better!

47. "Long story short I survived" -Taylor Swift

48. "Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you" -Taylor Swift

49. "As we go on, we remember all the times we spent together" -Juice WRLD

50. "Greatness is what we on the brink of" - Nicki Minaj

51. "Started form the bottom now we're here" -Drake

52. "They said I wouldn't be nothing now they always say congratulations" -Post Malone

53. "I wish that I could have this moment for life" - Nicki Minaj

54. "Hey look Ma, I made it" -Panic! At The Disco

55. "Does it ever drive you crazy just how fast the night changes?" -One Direction

56. "As Mac Miller once said, I just graduated high school"

57. "Thank you, next" -Ariana Grande

58. "I want it, I got it." -Ariana Grande

59. "Been there. Done that." -Mr. Worldwide

60. "I always knew this day would come" -Hannah Montana

61. "Today is where your book begins. The rest is still unwritten." -Natasha Bedingfield

This post was all about graduation captions.

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126 Best Graduation Captions to Pair With Your Diploma Selfies

These are perfect for Instagram and will easily encompass everything graduation day means to you.

While your photos will speak for themselves, the captions you choose have the power to put into words all that graduation day means to you. Captivate your followers with inspirational quotes to eloquently reflect upon the past and share your aspirations for the future. Or, crack a joke with a short, funny saying to add some humor to the big day. If you’d rather dedicate your caption to an uplifting or heartfelt lyric that sums up your education experience, we’ve also got you covered with a variety of quotes from graduation songs .

No matter if you’re the graduate or cheering them on in the stands, it’s a time to be proud of the hard work behind the diploma and share the moment on social media with one (or more!) of these hand-picked captions.

Inspirational Graduation Captions

• I took the road less traveled and that has made all the difference.
• It's time to plant the seeds of hope and a new, brighter future.
• Be bold. Be courageous. Be your best.
• I came, I saw, I conquered.
• There’s no need to try to fit in, when you were born to stand out.
• When you lean into your passions, you can’t go wrong.
• The things we are racing towards are better than what we leave behind.
• The future looks bright and I will keep on shining.
• This isn't goodbye, but see you later.
• The world is your oyster.
• May your cap fly as high as your dreams.
• Though our branches grow in different directions, our roots remain as one.
• Let your dreams be bigger than your fears, your actions louder than your words, and your faith stronger than your feelings.
• And so the adventure begins.
• This is the beginning of everything you want.
• Once you become fearless, life becomes limitless.
• What feels like the end is often the beginning.
• If it excites you and scares you at the same time, it probably means you should do it.
• The best way to predict the future is to create it.
• Not letting anyone or anything stand in my way.
• Whatever is good for your soul, that's what you should do.
• Every end has a new beginning.
• I believed I could, so I did.
• If you can dream it, you can make it so.
• The steps you take in life are the imprints you leave forever.
• Never stop believing in yourself. You’ll be amazed at how far it can take you.

Funny Graduation Captions

• Can I take a nap now?
• I got the skills to pay the bills.
• Turns out I wasn't too cool for school.
• Let me put that "hire me" sign on my front lawn now.
• Graduate: (N.) A person who now has carpal tunnel from note-taking.
• Very proud, very tired.
• Cs really do get degrees.
• What, like it’s hard?
• That’s all folks.
• I already forgot everything.
• Beauty and brains.
• Cheers to the memories.
• Now, who is going to pay off these loans?
• Next stop: Adulting
• Some graduate with honors, I am just honored to graduate.
• I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever invented copy and paste.
• Call me a chemistry cylinder because I am graduated.
• Proud of my B.S.
• The tassel was worth the hassle.
• Now, it's hotter in here by one degree.
• Thank you Mom, Dad, and coffee.
• I owe my diploma to coffee.
• I'm 100% certain that I am zero percent sure of what I'm going to do.
• Cap. Gown. It's going down.
• I graduated, so now I'm like all smart and stuff.
• Goodbye, ramen noodles, all-nighters and textbooks!
• I guess I’m all grown up now?

Sweet Graduation Captions

• How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.
• Make today your day.
• Now, everything awaits me.
• One step closer.
• On to my next adventure.
• The first step is just showing up.
• Enjoy the journey. Success does not rush.
• The beauty of the future is found when you believe in yourself.
• Take the risk, make the mistake. It’ll all be worth it.
• I laugh without fear of the future.
• All good things must come to an end, but this is just the beginning.
• This is what dreams are made of.
• Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.
• The best feeling in the world is knowing your parents are smiling because of you.
• Behind you, all your memories. Before you, all your dreams. Around you, all who love you. Within you, all you need.
• May we continue to do amazing things in life.
• You’ve sacrificed a lot for my future. It may take a lifetime, but I’ll do everything to repay for what you have done for me. Thanks, Mom and Dad.
• Many dream, some try, but I achieved.
• Wherever life plants you, bloom with grace.
• Dream big, work hard, stay focused, and surround yourself with good people.
• Reach for the stars. You might become one.
• Never stop dreaming and never lose your spirit.
• Your future is an unwritten symphony just awaiting your creative, daring and unique talent to make it a masterpiece.
• Savor the moment.
• All good things come to an end.

Graduation Captions Inspired by Songs

• “The best is yet to come.” — Frank Sinatra
• “So just think of your future, think of a new life, don't get lost in the memories, keep your eyes on a new prize.” — Paramore
• “Thank U, Next.” — Ariana Grande
• “Watch out for me, I'm bound to glow.”— Drake
• “All work and no play never made me lose it. All business all day keeps me up a level.” — Lorde
• “What didn't break me, made me better.”— Lil Baby
• “For every dark night, there’s always a brighter day.” — Tupac Shakur
• “What was once in the windshield, is now in my rear view” — Jonathan McReynolds
• “Always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper.” — Beyoncé
• “It was all a dream.” — Biggie
• “And if at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again.” — Aaliyah
• “Before I had it, I closed my eyes and imagined the good life.” — Kanye West
• “ Ain't about how fast I get there, ain't about what's waiting on the other side — it's the climb.” — Miley Cyrus
• “And this is the part where you find out who you are.” — The Maine
• “I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on my way.” — George Fairman
• “There’s just no telling how far I’ll go.” — Moana
• “As we go on, we remember all the times we had together.” — Vitamin C
• “Today is where your book begins. The rest is still unwritten.”— Natasha Bedingfield
• “It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right, I hope you had the time of your life.” — Green Day
• “ Goodbye to you. Goodbye to everything that I knew.” — Michelle Branch
• “I wish that I could have this moment for life.” — Nicki Minaj
• “Long live all the mountains we moved.” — Taylor Swift
• “I'm on the edge of glory, and I'm hangin' on a moment with you.” — Lady Gaga

Graduation Captions Inspired by Quotes

• “The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.” — J.R.R. Tolkien
• “Live! Live the wonderful life that is in you! Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for new sensations. Be afraid of nothing.” — Oscar Wilde
• “Did everyone see that? Because I will not be doing it again.” — Pirates of the Caribbean
• “Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon.”— Paul Brandt
• “Kid, you’ll move mountains.” — Dr. Seuss
• “One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential.” — Maya Angelou
• “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” — Judy Garland
• “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” — Milton Berle
• “Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom.” — Oprah Winfrey
• “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” — Nelson Mandela
• “Success is only meaningful and enjoyable if it feels like your own.” — Michelle Obama
• “Mischief Managed.” — Harry Potter
• “It is with passion, courage of conviction, and strong sense of self that we take our next steps into the world.” — Legally Blonde
• “She turned her cant's into cans, and her dreams into plans.” — Kobi Yamada
• “You can never be overdressed or overeducated.” — Oscar Wilde
• “Dream big and dare to fail.” — Norman Vaughan
• “We know what we are but know not what we may be.” — William Shakespeare
• “The fireworks begin today. Each diploma is a lighted match. Each one of you is a fuse.” — Edward Koch
• “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it.” — William Arthur Ward
• “What she tackles, she conquers.” — Gilmore Girls
• “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” — C.S. Lewis
• “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us." — Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead.” — Nora Ephron

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Graduation · January 28, 2024

75+ Clever Graduation Captions To Stand Out On Instagram

Having trouble thinking of the best graduation captions to make your photos stand out on Instagram? Try out some of these witty and creative ideas!

Grads, it’s your time to shine! Whether you’re graduating high school, college, or anything else, it’s time you celebrate all of your hard work. You have spent years working hard, so you just  have to commemorate the occasion with the perfect Instagram photo dump! Only one problem: What will you caption the photos?

Your graduation day is a moment to remember and the caption you choose for you photos is just as important as your yearbook quote. What better way to immortalize all your efforts than with these perfect graduation captions? In this post, we’ve rounded up 75+ graduation caption ideas that scream “I did it!” and show off your unique personality. From pop culture references to hilarious puns, there is something for everyone in this list. So, let’s dive into the world of graduation captions and find the one that resonates with your vibe!

This post is all about graduation captions.

Graduation captions: cute and clever.

• Turning tassels and taking names. 🎉📜
• Class dismissed forever. 💃📜
• Dressed to impress, educated to succeed. 🌟🎓
• Straight outta college/high school.
• Degree unlocked. 🎮🎓
• I came, I saw, I graduated.
• Dear diploma, you were worth every late-night coffee and early-morning study session. ☕🎓
• Flipping my tassel and turning heads.
• The tassel was worth the hassle. 💁‍♀️🎓
• Ready to adult.
• Watch out, world!
• Diploma: Unlocked. Adulting: Loading… ⏳🎓
• Just graduated – now accepting job offers and compliments.
• Cap, gown, and a whole lot of ambition. 🌟🎓
• Living proof that caffeine and determination can get you a degree. ☕
• She believed she could, so she did.
• Manifestation complete.
• A girl should be two things: who and what she wants. 🌟👑
• Strutting into my grad ceremony like I own it.

Graduation captions: Movie and TV Show References

• “What, like it’s hard?” — Elle Woods,  Legally Blonde 💖👩‍🎓
• She doesn’t even go here anymore.
• Get in loser, we’re graduating!
• Not a regular graduate, I’m a cool graduate. 😎
• This Barbie is graduating! 💁‍♀️🎓
• XOXO, Gossip Girl. 🎀
• “Oh yes, the past can hurt. But you can either run from it, or learn from it.” — Rafiki,  The Lion King
• To infinity and beyond! 👩‍🎓🚀
• “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” — Winnie the Pooh
• “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” — Winnie the Pooh 🌈
• “Venture outside your comfort zone. The rewards are worth it.” — Tangled
• Sincerely yours, The Breakfast Club. 🎓
• “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” — Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
• “Carpe Diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” — Dead Poets Society 🌍✨
• “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.” — Andy Bernard, The Office
• I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.
• “It is not our abilities that show what we truly are… it is our choices.” — Dumbledore, Harry Potter ✨
• Life is like a box of chocolates. 🍫💖
• Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.
• You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
• You have within you right now, everything you need to deal with whatever the world can throw at you.

Graduation captions: Song Lyrics

• Thank u, next! 🥳✨
• I want it (a diploma), I got it.
• The night is still young, and so are we.
• I’m walking on sunshine, and don’t it feel good. 😎☀️
• The best is yet to come and babe, won’t it be fine? 💖✨
• Long live all the mountains we moved, I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you. 🐉💞
• I’m sorry, the old [your name] can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, ’cause she’s dead!
• It’s something unpredictable, but in the end, it’s right. I hope you had the time of your life. 🎓
• Don’t you forget about me.
• Here’s to the ones who dream, foolish as they may seem.
• Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. 🌈✨
• We’re all stories in the end.
• I hope you dance. 💃🏻💓
• I’m a survivor.
• Baby, you’re a firework. 🎆💘
• I’m feeling like a star, you can’t stop my shine. 💫✨
• It’s time to begin, isn’t it?
• Life is a highway. 🚗💖
• So don’t be afraid to let them show, your true colors are beautiful like a rainbow. 🌈💫✨
• There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be.

Graduation captions: Funny Ideas

• Successfully graduated from ‘Google It’ University.
• Four years of making it look like I know what I’m doing.
• Dear diploma, you were worth the sleepless nights, but can you pay my bills now? 💸📜
• Finally a master’s degree in pretending to understand adulting. 🤓🎓
• Proud owner of a degree in procrastination. 🎓🤪
• Survived four years of group projects.
• Graduated with honors in the subject of avoiding eye contact in the elevator. 👀🎓
• Diploma: Proof that I paid for a piece of paper and survived. 📜💸
• Four years of ‘Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V’ finished.
• Finally got that degree in Advanced Multitasking – juggling assignments, Netflix, and sleep. 🎓🤹‍♀️
• Mastered the art of nodding and smiling during Zoom lectures.
• Got a degree in adulting, but still can’t parallel park. Priorities, right? 🚗🎓
• They said ‘follow your dreams,’ so I went back to bed.
• Diploma in hand, and my parents are still waiting for me to figure out how to use the dishwasher. 🍽️
• Officially a graduate in the art of pretending to look busy when the boss walks by.

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80 Classy Graduation Instagram Captions That Celebrate Success

Share your accomplishments with these Instagram-worthy graduation captions!

As a college instructor and communication expert with extensive nonfiction and educational writing experience, Mary shares tips and advice related to a wide variety of topics.

Learn about our Editorial Policy .

Graduation is an occasion that deserves to be captured in photos and proudly shared far and wide on social media. Whether you're a soon-to-be graduate brainstorming how to caption your latest Instagram post, or you're looking to show your support for someone who's graduating this year, you'll find all the inspiration you need in this fun and creative selection of graduation caption ideas.

Short Graduation Selfie Captions

Can you sum up the emotions of graduation in four words or less? With these graduation cap-tions: Absolutely!

• Matriculated me.
• Made the grades!
• It's diploma day!
• Am I done yet?
• Too cool for school.
• Commence celebration.
• Let the graduation begin.
• Culmination graduation.
• Celebrate today, future tomorrow.
• Graduated, matriculated, and unabated!

Funny Graduation Captions That Make the Grade

Sprinkle a bit of humor into graduation day by posting a few photos adorned with some funny graduation sayings, silly rhymes, or corny puns.

• I couldn't degree more.
• Caution, adulting ahead.
• It's never too late to matriculate!
• Graduation: The launchpad to real life.
• It was touch and go for a while, but I made it!
• It's all school and rules until somebody graduates.
• School is over, I am done. Look out world, here I come.
• It took a whole lot of energy drinks to get me to this day.
• This diploma shows I can succeed; oh yes it does, it does indeed.
• I marched in and sat in a chair, then waited to be called up there. I snagged my diploma and sat back down. Now it's time to go out on the town!

Cute & Clever Graduation Captions

Looking for a graduation caption that's cute or clever? Explore these fun graduation expressions to see what fits.

• This paper proves everything.
• So grad I finally made it!
• One major milestone at a time.
• Let the commencement begin.
• Tomorrow is mine for the taking.
• Does this cap make me look smart?
• This is what a new graduate looks like.
• Provin' haters wrong one diploma at a time.
• Who runs the world? Graduates like me, that's who.
• One step closer to making my mark on the world.

Inspiring Instagram Captions for the Perfect Graduation Post

Hoping to inspire others to achieve a similar greatness? Or are you crafting a caption to spark excitement over your future moves? No matter what you are looking for, these Insta-worthy graduation captions that are guaranteed to get noticed.

• Dreams really do come true!
• The world if my oyster. #planningtoseizetheday
• One step closer to my future. #readyformore
• Goals are what get you to your destiny.
• My tassel is turned, and I am ready to tackle anything that life throws at me!
• I dreamed it. I did it. What's next, world?
• I made this possible. Just wait to see what I do next.
• It feels like the end, but it is really just the beginning of an exciting new chapter.
• Charting a new course takes a whole lot of courage, a dash of brilliance, and a pinch of crazy. #adventureawaits
• Fear for the future means you have something to lose. #Letsdothis
• Get Quote Inspiration From These Graduation Songs

Cap and Gown Picture Captions

Nothing screams "new graduate" louder than cap and gown photos taken on the big day. These captions are ideal for photos of the graduate decked out to walk across the stage.

• Flippin' my tassel .
• Cap-ture your dreams!
• All gowned up and everywhere to go.
• Was this tassel worth the hassle? It sure was!
• Been there, done that, got the tassel to prove it!
• Cap and gown: The ultimate (and final!) school uniform.
• I've been waiting 12 long years to toss this cap up in the air.
• Zip up the gown, put on the cap; head up the aisle for your victory lap.
• This may be my first cap and gown, but it won't be my last. #collegebound
• As graduates, shouldn't we know better than to throw pointy hats up in the air in a crowd?

Captions for Photos With Friends & Fellow Graduates

No graduation day is complete without group photos. Use these captions for photos of you with your best friends or fellow graduates.

• Good (enough) grades have been made by all.
• This group is one pass act.
• Go forth and change the world.
• Say hi to the world's most recent graduates.
• Remember our faces; we'll be changing the world.
• Look out world, the class of [insert year] has arrived.
• One last group shot before we all go our separate ways.
• What a great way to conclude our time together in school.
• School brought us together, but our friendship will last forever.
• You will never again see all of us together dressed exactly the same.

Graduation Pride Captions

Graduation is a time for celebrating, but it's also a time to speak up and share how proud you are of yourself. Let your pride and self-belief show by sharing these strong captions.

• I am graduated, hear me roar.
• Proud to finish strong.
• Of course, I can believe I did it!
• This is what unstoppable feels like.
• There's no "easy" button for high school/college.
• This diploma is a symbol of how much I believe in myself.
• Before I could achieve, I first had to learn to believe.
• I'm living proof that if you dare to dream, you can achieve.
• On my path, there were a lot of twists, but I always knew my school career would end like this.
• It wasn't an easy road, but I did the work and made it to the final destination of graduation.

Graduation Gratitude Captions

While patting yourself on the back (as you should!), take the time to express sincere gratitude to those who helped you get to this day and accomplish so much along the way.

• To everyone who helped get me to this day, I salute you.
• This honor belongs to my parents.
• I am eternally grateful for the patience and support of my family.
• My heart is filled with gratitude for the teachers who inspired me and believed in me.
• It took a lot of love to get me here, walking across this stage. I am eternally grateful for the love and support that helped along the way.
• Don't Forget Thank You Notes for Gifts

Sibling Graduation Captions for Instagram

When you have a sister or brother who is graduating, let them know you're proud of them, or tease them in a good-natured way, with these sibling-focused graduation sayings.

• Happy graduation day to the best sibling in the world!
• My brother/sister is smarter than yours.
• Proud brother/sister of a brand new graduate.
• Bursting with pride for my baby sister/brother.
• Sure, you have a diploma now, but just remember, I got mine first.

Mark the Occasion With Graduation Sayings

You'll have a blast posting graduation selfies and pictures from the ceremony embellished with some of these celebratory sayings. Explore these senior grad quotes , proud parent graduation quotes , and graduation sayings for even more caption ideas.

167 Graduation Quotes That’ll Remind You to Follow Your Dreams

By Kristi Kellogg and Marilyn La Jeunesse

Finding the right graduation quote can be a tedious process. After four years of hard work, you want to commemorate this special moment with the right words. Something that defines who you are and sets the tone for the future. The truth of the matter is, it takes lots of blood, sweat, tears, and ramen to make it to graduation .

But, the day has finally come for you to don your hard-earned graduation robes, decorate your cap, and rewatch your favorite graduation movies to get excited for the big day. Bear your tassel proudly, and find the right motto for graduation captions on Instagram, of course. Hey, you didn’t work this hard in school just to post a captionless photo, right?

From inspirational quotes from Taylor Swift to funny graduation quotes from Timotheé Chalamet , we rounded up the best graduation quotes, best senior quotes, and graduation messages from celebrities, athletes, politicians, writers, cartoon characters and more. These thoughtful bits of advice are perfect to include in graduation cards (that go far beyond your “congratulations graduate” message), a commencement speech , or even to use for senior quotes in your yearbook. The choice is yours! Read on to discover 167 best graduation quotes.

In this article:

High school graduation quotes

Funny graduation quotes, college graduation quotes, inspirational graduation quotes, proud graduation quotes, short graduation quotes, graduation quotes for instagram, senior quotes.

• "Your life is your adventure. And the adventure ahead of you is a journey to fulfill your own purpose and potential." —Kerry Washington
• “If you can do what you do best and be happy, you are further along in life than most people.” —Leonardo DiCaprio
• "Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world." —Nelson Mandela
• "Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead." —Nora Ephron
• "You are about to start the greatest improvisation of all. With no script. No idea what's going to happen, often with people and places you have never seen before. And you are not in control. So say 'yes.' And if you're lucky, you'll find people who will say 'yes' back." —Stephen Colbert
• "You must have some vision for your life. Even if you don't know the plan, you have to have a direction in which you choose to go." —Oprah
• "You don’t go to university so you can punch a clock. You go to university so you can be in a position to make a difference." —Janet Napolitano
• "Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today." —Malcolm X
• "I've learned it's important not to limit yourself. You can do whatever you really love to do, no matter what it is." —Ryan Gosling
• "Fight for what makes you optimistic about the world. Find it, insist on it, dig into it, go after it." —Jennifer Garner
• "Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education." —Martin Luther King Jr.
• "You cannot dream of becoming something you do not know about. You have to learn to dream big. Education exposes you to what the world has to offer, to the possibilities open to you." —Sonia Sotomayor
• "If I must give any of you advice it would be say yes. Say yes, and create your own destiny." —Maya Rudolph
• "Your inexperience is an asset in that it will make you think in original, unconventional ways. Accept your lack of knowledge and use it as your asset." —Natalie Portman
• "Take your risks now. As you grow older, you become more fearful and less flexible … Try to keep your mind open to possibilities and your mouth closed on matters that you don't know about. Limit your 'always' and your 'nevers.' Continue to share your heart with people even if it’s been broken." —Amy Poehler
• "You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future." —Steve Jobs
• "Now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here." —Neil Gaiman
• "When you respect the idea that you are sharing the Earth with other humans, and when you lead with your nice foot forward, you’ll win, every time. It might not be today, it might not be tomorrow, but it comes back to you when you need it." —Kristen Bell
• "Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have you, you will never, ever have enough." —Oprah
• "He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life." —Muhammad Ali
• "Go make your big beautiful dent, and as you do so come down on the side of boldness. If you err, may it be for too much audacity, and not too little. For you really are enough. You have untold strengths and resources inside. You have your glorious self." —Sue Monk Kidd
• "It is often easier to make progress on mega-ambitious dreams. I know that sounds completely nuts. But, since no one else is crazy enough to do it, you have little competition." —Larry Page
• "Some life lessons don’t ever change. They need to be highlighted and they need to be remembered throughout our entire lives. But how you embrace them will distinguish you from the pack." —Brooke Shields
• "You and you alone are the only person who can live the life that writes the story that you were meant to tell." — Kerry Washington
• "Be the hardest working person you know. Because if you’re not, someone else will be." —Ian Brennan
• "In response to those who say to stop dreaming and face reality, I say keep dreaming and make reality." —Kristian Kan
• "It’s your turn to choose and define what success means to you. Now, others will try to define it for you, but yours is the only voice that matters." — Octavia Spencer
• Nobody else is paying as much attention to your failures as you are . . . to everyone else, it’s just a blip on the radar screen, so just move on. —Jerry Zucker
• "I am here to tell you that whatever you think your dream is now, it will probably change. And that's okay." —Conan O'Brien
• "Learn from every mistake because every experience, encounter, and particularly your mistakes are there to teach you and force you into being more who you are. And then figure out what is the next right move. And the key to life is to develop an internal moral, emotional G.P.S. that can tell you which way to go." —Oprah
• "If we’d all stuck with our first dream, the world would be overrun with cowboys and princesses. So whatever your dream is right now, if you don’t achieve it you haven’t failed and you’re not some loser." —Stephen Colbert
• "Don’t be afraid of fear. Because it sharpens you, it challenges you, it makes you stronger; and when you run away from fear, you also run away from the opportunity to be your best possible self."—Ed Helms
• “Success is not about wealth or fame, but about inner happiness and fulfillment.” —Margot Robbie
• “There are multiple sides to all of us. Who we are — and who we might be if we follow our dreams. —Miley Cyrus
• “God will never give you anything you can’t handle, so don’t stress.” —Kelly Clarkson
• "We're only here for so long. Be happy, man. You could get hit by a truck tomorrow." —​Timothée Chalamet​
• “Don’t allow people to dim your shine because they are blinded. Tell them to put on sunglasses.” —Lady Gaga
• "Get busy living or get busy dying." —Stephen King
• "You can’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets." —Arnold Schwarzenegger
• "If you aren't going all the way, why go at all?" —Joe Namath
• "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." —Wayne Gretzky
• "You will stumble and fall, you will experience both disaster and triumph, sometimes in the same day. But it's really important to remember that like a hangover, neither triumphs nor disasters last forever." —Helen Mirren
• "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." —Thomas Edison
• "You have to dance a little bit before you step out into the world each day, because it changes the way you walk." —Sandra Bullock
• "Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there." —Will Rogers
• "The road to success is always under construction." —Lily Tomlin
• "You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it." —Robin Williams
• "Opportunity dances with those who are already on the dance floor." —Jackson Browne
• “Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.” —Elbert Hubbard
• “If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.” —Dolly Parton
• “Sometimes it takes a good fall to know where you stand.” —Hayley Williams
• “Success is nothing if you don’t have the right people to share it with; you’re just going to end up lonely.” —Selena Gomez
• "The meaning of life is to find your gift, the purpose of life is to give it away." —Joy J. Golliver
• "That clock you hear is the sound of your own heart. Sink your teeth into this life, and don’t get let go." —Lin-Manuel Miranda
• "No job or task is too small or beneath you. If you want to get ahead, volunteer to do the things no one else wants to do, and do it better." —Bobbi Brown
• "You can’t do it alone. Be open to collaboration. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you. Spend a lot of time with them and it will change your life." — Amy Poehler
• "When we show up, act boldly, and practice the best ways to be wrong, we fail forward. No matter where we end up, we’ve grown from where we began." —Stacey Abrams
• "I celebrate you as you remember the power of grace and pride, and I challenge you to choose freedom over fear." —Janelle Monáe
• "Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." —John Dewey
• "You could travel with the sheep, follow everybody else’s stuff, but then you’re not you. I guess if I want to say anything it’s ‘Be you.’ Be true to you, and that should make the ride a little more interesting." — Whoopi Goldberg
• "There will be times when your best isn’t good enough. There can be many reasons for this, but as long as you give your best you’ll be OK." —Robert De Niro
• "We may live in an age of instant messaging, instant gratification and Instagram, but there is no way to short circuit the path to success." —Tory Burch
• "Now the first suggestion is to aim high, but be aware that even before you have reached your ultimate professional destination, if you always strive for excellence, you can and should have a substantial impact on the world in which you live." —Sandra Day O’Connor
• "As you graduate, as you deal with your excitement and your doubts today, I urge you to try and create the world you want to live in. Minister to the world in a way that can change it. Minister radically in a real, active, practical, get your hands dirty way." —Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." —Henry David Thoreau
• "The horizon leans forward, offering you space to place new steps of change." —Maya Angelou
• "There is nothing more beautiful than finding your course as you believe you bob aimlessly in the current. Wouldn’t you know that your path was there all along, waiting for you to knock, waiting for you to become. This path does not belong to your parents, your teachers, your leaders, or your lovers. Your path is your character defining itself more and more everyday like a photograph coming into focus." —Jodie Foster
• "Real leadership comes from the quiet nudging of an inner voice. It comes from realizing that the time has come to move beyond waiting to doing." —Madeleine Albright
• "Dreams are lovely. But they are just dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral, pretty. But dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It's hard work that makes things happen. It's hard work that creates change." —Shonda Rhimes
• "Don't just get involved. Fight for your seat at the table. Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table." —Barack Obama
• “Life can be heavy if you carry it all at once. Know what to keep and what to release. Decide what is yours to hold, and let all the other things go." —Taylor Swift
• “A lot of people give up just before they’re about to make it. You know you never know when that next obstacle is going to be the last one.” —Chuck Norris
• “It’s the choice. You have to wake up every day and say, ‘There’s no reason today can’t be the best day of my life’.” —Blake Lively
• “We are all deserving and we don’t need permission or an invitation to exist and to step into our power.” —Ilhan Omar
• “Your self worth is determined by you. You don’t have to depend on someone telling you who you are.” —Beyoncé
• "No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind." —Taylor Swift
• "There’s something so special about a woman who dominates in a man’s world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer." —Rihanna
• "Understand that one day you will have the power to make a difference, so use it well." —Mindy Kaling
• "I'm continually trying to make choices that put me out of my own comfort zone. As long as you're uncomfortable it means you're growing." —Ashton Kutcher
• "It's amazing what you can get if you quietly, clearly and authoritatively demand it." —Meryl Streep
• "It's the choice. You have to wake up every day and say 'There's no reason today can't be the best day of my life.'" —Blake Lively
• "I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." —Michael Jordan
• "There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do." —Derek Jeter
• "My favorite animal is the turtle. The reason is that in order for the turtle to move, it has to stick its neck out. There are going to be times in your life when you’re going to have to stick your neck out. There will be challenges, and instead of hiding in a shell, you have to go out and meet them." —Ruth Westheimer
• "There is no passion to be found in playing small — in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." —Nelson Mandela
• "When someone who loves you hugs you, hug them back with two arms—don’t do the one-arm hug, because when you hug someone with two arms, it allows you to lean on somebody, and we all need someone to lean on." — Sandra Bullock
• "Frustration, although quite painful at times, is a very positive and essential part of success. —Bo Bennett
• "You can never be the best. The only thing you can be the best at is developing yourself." — Natalie Portman
• "Real courage is holding on to a still voice in your head that says, ‘I must keep going.’ It’s that voice that says nothing is a failure if it is not final. That voice that says to you, ‘Get out of bed. Keep going. I will not quit.'" —Cory Booker
• "Cynicism has never won a war, or cured a disease, or started a business, or fed a young mind, or sent men into space. Cynicism is a choice. Hope is a better choice." —Barack Obama
• "What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us." —Ralph Waldo Emerson
• "When people tell you not to believe in your dreams, and they say 'Why?' say 'Why not?'" —Billie Jean King
• "I encourage you to live with life. Be courageous, adventurous. Give us a tomorrow, more than we deserve." —Maya Angelou
• "There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction." — Oprah Winfrey
• "I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it." —Thomas Jefferson
• “Sometimes the problem feels so big that changing one life doesn’t feel like enough. But it is.” —America Ferrera
• “Don’t take yourself too seriously. Know when to laugh at yourself, and find a way to laugh at obstacles that inevitably present themselves.” —Halle Bailey
• “Heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary.” —Gerard Way
• “Every day is a new opportunity to change your life and be who you want to be.” —Demi Lovato
• "Don't be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered." —Michelle Obama
• "Remember this: You are awesome. I’m not suggesting you be boastful. No one likes that in men or women. But I am suggesting that believing in yourself is the first necessary step to coming even close to achieving your potential." —Sheryl Sandberg
• “Don’t ever doubt yourselves or waste a second of your life. It’s too short and you’re too special.” —Ariana Grande
• "Ignore the naysayers. Really the only option is: head down and focus on the job." —Chris Pine
• "Success is only meaningful and enjoyable if it feels like your own." —Michelle Obama
• "The best remedy for those who are frightened, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be alone with the sky, nature, and God. For only then can you feel that everything is as it should be and that God wants people to be happy amid nature’s beauty and simplicity." —Anne Frank
• "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." —E. E. Cummings
• "I can’t think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid to be herself." —Emma Stone
• "You don’t have to be famous. You just have to make your mother and father proud of you, and you already have." —Meryl Streep
• "In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love." —Mother Teresa
• “So often in life things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great good fortune.” —Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• “It never hurts to keep looking for sunshine.” —Eeyore
• “What do you have to do? What do you want to do? Tomorrow is not promised. Make plans anyway.” —Lin Manuel Miranda
• “There are no regrets in life. Just lessons.” —Jennifer Aniston
• “For the great doesn’t happen through impulse alone, and is a succession of little things that are brought together.” —Vincent Van Gogh
• "Change takes courage." —Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
• "You're never a loser until you quit trying." —Mike Ditka
• "Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions." —Albert Einstein
• “Work so hard that you never have to introduce yourself.” —Gigi Hadid
• "It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up." —Babe Ruth
• "There are no regrets in life — just lessons." —Jennifer Aniston
• "Stay hungry. Stay foolish." —Steven Jobs
• "A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman." —Melinda Gates
• "You get in life what you have the courage to ask for." —Oprah Winfrey
• "To give any less than your best is to sacrifice a gift." —Steve Prefontaine
• "Being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity." —Will Smith
• "Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement." —Matt Bondi
• "If you can’t outplay them, outwork them." —Ben Hogan
• "This above all: To thine own self be true." —William Shakespeare
• "Do. Or do not. There is no try." —Yoda
• "Be bold, be courageous, be your best." –Gabrielle Giffords
• "It is absolutely still possible to make a difference." —Michelle Obama
• “You’re not a slacker if you cut yourself some slack.” —Bill Gates
• “Be persistent and never give up hope.” —George Lucas
• “Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” —Gloria Steinem
• "It is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate." —George Burns
• “There’s always going to be someone who doesn’t like you.” —Ariana Grande
• "All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." —Walt Disney
• “Started from the bottom, now we’re here.” —Drake
• "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." —Eleanor Roosevelt
• "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." —Sun Tzu
• "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." —Arthur Ashe
• "She turned her can’ts into cans and her dreams into plans." —Kobi Yamada
• "There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind." —C.S. Lewis
• "You can never be overdressed or overeducated." —Oscar Wilde
• "Nothing is impossible. The word itself says 'I'm possible.'" —Audrey Hepburn
• "A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." —Jack Dempsey
• “Don’t you ever let a soul in the world tell you that you can’t be exactly who you are.” —Lady Gaga
• “Be kind to yourself a little more every day.” —Dua Lipa
• “You will screw it up sometimes.” —Taylor Swift
• “And here you are living despite it all.” —Rupi Kaur
• “If you don’t have any shadows you’re not in the light.” —Lady Gaga
• “Keep your eyes on the finish line and not on the turmoil around you.” —Rihanna
• “For every winner, there doesn't have to be a loser. In fact, most success stories are less about competition and more about collaboration.” —Michelle Yeoh
• “Time is the most valuable resource on the planet.” —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
• “Please don’t be afraid, don’t worry yourself. The end and beginning, beginning and end are connected.” —BTS’s Suga
• “Trust your gut, keep throwing darts at the dartboard. Don’t listen to the critics – and you will figure it out.” —Will Ferrell
• “Building your community is how you change the world.” —LeBron James
• “Never let anyone put you in a box or tell you what you can do. Make sure you paint your own picture and go your own path, and continue to think outside the box.” —Magic Johnson
• “If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow.” —Beyoncé
• “Embrace your uniqueness for it is what makes you truly beautiful.” —Dove Cameron
• “I’ve always done whatever I want and been exactly who I am.” —Billie Eilish
• “Don’t try so hard to fit in, and certainly don’t try so hard to be different, just try hard to be you.” —Zendaya
• “If you were born with the weakness to fall you were born with the strength to rise.” —Rupi Kaur
• “You have to believe in yourself when no one else does.” —Serena Williams
• “You can be everything. You can be the infinite amount of things that people are.” —Kesha
• “Do one thing every day that scares you.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
• “Keep smiling, because life is a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.” —Marilyn Monroe

Want more from   Teen Vogue ? Check this out: Taylor Swift’s Grad Speech: “You Will Screw It Up”

By Kristi Kellogg and Noor Brara

By Julie Pennell

By Kara Nesvig

By Kristi Kellogg

268+ Graduation Captions and Quotes for Instagram

A guide to the best graduation captions and quotes for Instagram. Read on to get inspired to share your joy with your followers.

It’s finally graduation season! You’ve worked hard and are ready to celebrate your accomplishment with your friends and family. To commemorate the moment, why not post a picture on Instagram with a great graduation caption or quote to share your joy? Here, we provide a selection of the best graduation captions and quotes for your Instagram post.

Inspirational Graduation Quotes

Graduation quotes for college, graduation quotes for high school, graduation quotes for friends, graduation quotes for sons and daughters, graduation quotes for brothers and sisters.

Are you looking for the perfect graduation caption or quote to accompany your celebratory Instagram post? Look no further! In this section, we have rounded up some of the most inspirational graduation quotes to help you commemorate this special milestone. Whether you’re a recent graduate or congratulating a friend, these quotes will help you craft the perfect sentiment to go along with your post.

Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience. –Paulo Coelho

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. –Eleanor Roosevelt

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. –Steve Jobs

The only way to do great work is to love what you do. –Steve Jobs

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. –Albert Schweitzer

Follow your passions, believe in karma, and you won’t have to chase your dreams; they will come to you. –Randy Pausch

The best way to predict the future is to create it. –Peter Drucker

The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating. –John Schaar

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. –C.S. Lewis

The future is always beginning now. –Mark Strand

Life is a journey, not a destination. –Ralph Waldo Emerson

No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world. –Robin Williams

As you prepare to walk across the stage and receive your diploma, let these graduation quotes for college inspire and celebrate your accomplishments. From inspirational words to humorous sayings, these graduation captions and quotes for Instagram will help you find the perfect way to capture this special moment.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

The future starts today, not tomorrow.

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.

The best way to predict the future is to create it.

You are educated. Your certification is in your degree. You may think of it as the ticket to the good life. Let me ask you to think of an alternative. Think of it as your ticket to change the world.

Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn and change.

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.

A graduation ceremony is an event where the commencement speaker tells thousands of students dressed in identical caps and gowns that ‘individuality’ is the key to success.

Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.

Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.

Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their visions.

Graduation is not the end; it’s the beginning.

The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.

The future is not a gift, it is an achievement.

The future is not something you wait for, it is something you create.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their actions.

The future is not something you inherit, it is something you build.

The future is not a result of choices among alternative paths offered by the present, but a place that is created—created first in the mind and will, created next in activity.

The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.

The future is shaped by your dreams, so stop wasting time and go live them.

It’s graduation season, which means that high school seniors around the world are celebrating the end of their school year and embarking on the next chapter in their lives. As they prepare for their big day, it can be difficult to come up with a caption or quote for their graduation photos and Instagram posts. To help, we’ve compiled a list of inspiring and motivational graduation quotes for high school seniors to use on their social media accounts! From funny and lighthearted to meaningful and thoughtful, there’s something for everyone. So whether you’re looking for something to write on your cap or just need a little inspiration to get your creative juices flowing, we’ve got you covered.

The future is not something we enter. The future is something we create.

The tassel’s worth the hassle.

The only way to predict the future is to create it.

You are the architect of your own future.

Graduation is only a concept. In real life every day you graduate. Graduation is a process that goes on until the last day of your life.

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.

The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.

The future is not a gift. It is an achievement.

You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.

The future is always beginning now.

Graduation is only the beginning of the journey.

The future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow.

Life is a journey, not a destination.

The only limits in life are the ones you make.

No one can go back and make a new start, but anyone can start from now and make a new ending.

Today is your opportunity to build the tomorrow you want.

Don’t let the fears of tomorrow keep you from living fully today.

Graduation is not the end; it’s the beginning of a new adventure.

It’s time to celebrate the big day! Graduation is the perfect time to show your friends how proud you are of all their hard work and dedication. If you’re looking for just the right words to capture this special moment, look no further! We’ve rounded up some of the best graduation quotes for friends that are perfect for that special Instagram caption. Whether your friend is graduating from high school, college, or another program, these quotes are sure to make them smile.

Your graduation is the start of the rest of your life – make it count!

You did it! Congratulations on your graduation!

The future lies before you like a field of driven snow; be careful how you tread it.

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.

Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.

The future depends on what you do today.

The only way to do great work is to love what you do.

Your graduation is just the beginning. Keep striving for greatness.

Success is a journey, not a destination.

Congratulations on your graduation! Wishing you success in your future endeavors.

The future is what you make it.

You have achieved something today that will benefit you for the rest of your life.

Your graduation marks the beginning of a new and exciting journey.

The future is yours for the taking.

Your graduation is a cause for celebration! Congratulations!

The future is yours to create.

Your graduation is the beginning of a new chapter in your life.

You have worked hard and achieved great things. Congratulations!

Your graduation is a milestone in your life. Congratulations!

Education is the key to unlocking your potential.

The future is now in your hands.

The future is whatever you make it.

Your graduation is a testament to your hard work and dedication.

You have the power to shape your own future.

A graduation is not the end, it’s the beginning.

Your graduation marks the end of one journey and the beginning of another.

Your graduation is the start of a new journey. Make it a great one!

The future is yours. Go out and seize it!

The future is in your hands. Make it a great one!

Your graduation marks the start of a new and exciting journey.

Your graduation is the beginning of a new chapter in your life. Make it a great one!

Your graduation marks the end of one journey and the beginning of another. Make it a great one!

Your future is whatever you make it. Make it a great one!

No matter the age, graduating is always a special occasion. Whether it’s your son or daughter completing their secondary education or graduating from college, it’s a milestone worth celebrating and honoring. To help commemorate this special time, here are some of the best graduation quotes for sons and daughters. These quotes will help you capture your feelings in a meaningful way and will make a great addition to any Instagram caption!

A graduation is not the end; it’s the beginning.

You are the author of your own story. Congratulations on your graduation!

Your graduation is just the beginning of a lifelong journey of learning.

You have worked hard and earned your graduation. Congratulations!

Your graduation marks the start of a new and exciting chapter in your life.

Your graduation marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.

Your graduation marks the start of a new journey. Congratulations!

Your graduation is a milestone that will take you to the next level.

You have achieved so much. Congratulations on your graduation!

Your hard work and dedication have paid off. Congratulations on your graduation!

You have worked hard and achieved so much. Congratulations on your graduation!

Your graduation is a time to celebrate your success and look forward to the future.

Your graduation marks the end of one journey and the start of another.

Your graduation is the beginning of a new and exciting journey.

Your graduation is the start of a new and exciting chapter in your life.

Your graduation marks the start of a new and exciting adventure.

Your graduation marks the end of one journey and the start of a new one.

Your graduation marks the start of a new and wonderful journey.

Your graduation marks the completion of one journey and the start of another.

Your graduation marks the end of one chapter and the start of a new one.

Your graduation marks the beginning of a new and wonderful adventure.

You have worked hard and achieved success. Congratulations on your graduation!

Your graduation marks the completion of one journey and the start of a new one.

Your graduation marks the start of a new and wonderful adventure.

Whether you’re the proud parent of a graduating brother and sister or the sibling themselves, we’ve got the perfect graduation caption and quote to capture the emotion of the day. From funny to sentimental, these graduation quotes for brothers and sisters will help you express your pride and celebrate this milestone.

You are not only graduating today; you are beginning a new journey.

You can do anything you set your mind to.

You have the power to make your dreams come true.

The sky’s the limit; go for it.

You have the courage to make your own path.

You can make your own success story.

You have the power to create your own destiny.

Dreams don’t work unless you do.

Your future is in your hands; make it count.

The best is yet to come.

Your dreams are within reach; go get them.

You have the power to write your own story.

The future is yours; make it happen.

The only way to succeed is to never give up.

You have the power to make your own destiny.

You have the power to create your own future.

You are the author of your own story.

The only way to reach success is to never give up.

You can make your dreams come true.

The future is in your hands; make it count.

You can create your own success story.

You have the power to write your own future.

You have the power to make your own dreams come true.

You can make your own destiny.

You have the power to create your own success story.

You have the courage to write your own story.

The only way to achieve greatness is to never give up.

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DINAH J ARGUETA

Dinah J. Argueta, a talented social media caption writer, is a true wordsmith with a passion for crafting compelling and impactful messages. Born and raised in a culturally diverse environment, Dinah draws inspiration from her unique background to bring a fresh perspective to her work. With a deep love for language and storytelling, Dinah pursued her education in English Literature, honing her skills in creative writing and communication. She recognized the power of social media as a platform for expression and connection, and her fascination with digital communication led her to specialize in social media caption writing. Throughout her career, Dinah has worked with a wide range of clients, from small businesses to established brands and influential individuals. She understands the importance of tailoring captions to match the specific voice and goals of each client, ensuring that their message resonates authentically with their target audience. Dinah's expertise extends beyond simply stringing words together. She stays up-to-date with the latest trends, algorithms, and best practices in the ever-evolving social media landscape. This knowledge allows her to optimize captions for maximum impact, engagement, and reach. Her unique ability to capture the essence of a brand or individual in just a few words has earned her a reputation for excellence. Dinah's captions are known for their creativity, thoughtfulness, and ability to evoke emotions, leaving a lasting impression on readers. When she's not immersed in the world of social media, you can find Dinah exploring new avenues of creative expression, immersing herself in literature, or discovering hidden gems in her city. Her well-rounded interests and diverse experiences lend depth and versatility to her writing. Dinah J. Argueta is dedicated to helping clients elevate their social media presence through captivating captions that connect, inspire, and engage. With her exceptional talent and passion for storytelling, she is ready to take your social media game to new heights.

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127 graduation captions to celebrate a job well done

Graduations are among life's most special moments. After all, they mark the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one.

That's why celebrating these milestones is so important. Graduations come few and far between, and when the big day arrives, the recent grad in your life deserves to be recognized .

Whether you're the proud graduate or celebrating a family member or friend's commencement, we've gathered a collection graduation captions to post on Instagram or use however you see fit.

Choose from a variety of short, funny and inspirational messages on hard work, determination and accomplishment, all the essential ingredients required to help achieve success.

You'll also find short quotes from notable figures like Eleanor Roosevelt, Nelson Mandela, Dr. Seuss and Henry David Thoreau, who fittingly wrote, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!"

Given that dreams are what graduations are all about, we've got captions about those, too, including graduation wishes like, “Big dreams bloom from the seeds of encouragement” and “Pursue your dreams with wild abandon.

No matter if you’re celebrating a preschool , kindergarten , middle school , high school or college grad , one thing's for sure, these captions are guaranteed to earn you a spot on the honor roll.

Best graduation captions

• Hats off to you!
• Nothing succeeds more than success.
• Cap and gown, another one down!
• You may say we're dreamers, but we're not the only ones.
• One door closes, another one opens.

• School's out forEVER!
• Let's get this party started!
• A picture's worth a thousand words.
• It's not the journey, it's the destination.
• You are the best thing that ever happened to you.

• Big dreams bloom from the seeds of encouragement.
• The winner takes it all.
• The sky's the limit!
• The world awaits ...
• Thanks for the memories.

Graduation captions from quotes

• “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!” Henry David Thoreau
• “I scorched the earth with my talent and I let my light shine.” — André Leon Talley
• “Through discipline comes freedom.” — Aristotle
• “Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead.” — Nora Ephron
• “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” — Lao Tzu
• “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” — Steve Martin

• “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” ― John D. Rockefeller
• “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” — Nelson Mandela
• “What we learn with pleasure we never forget.” — Alfred Mercier
• “Today’s accomplishments were yesterday’s impossibilities.” — Robert H. Schuller
• “You’re off to great places. Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So ... get on your way.” — Dr. Seuss, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”

• “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
• “All dreams are within reach. All you have to do is keep moving towards them.” — Viola Davis
• “A great accomplishment shouldn’t be the end of the road, just the starting point for the next leap forward.” — Harvey Mackay
• “Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!” ― Dr. Seuss, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”

Short graduation captions

• Three ... two ... one ... done!
• Success looks good on you.
• Don't just imagine your future. Create it.
• All for one, and one for all!
• And they graduated happily ever after.

• Officially too cool for school.
• It's about time!
• See you later, graduater!
• Congratulations to a class act!
• Officially leaving as a legend.
• Onward and upward.

• Finally, at the top of the heap!
• Cheers to the class of 2023.
• Goodbye until next time.
• May the graduation be with you.
• All that. And then some.

• Hat’s off to the class of 2023!
• Next stop? The future.
• Done with school, but forever a student.
• It’s only impossible until you do it.
• Happy trails, until we meet again.
• So long, but not farewell.

• I believed I could, so I did.
• Seize the moment, celebrate the day.
• Be curious. Take risks. Live in color.
• Expect great things and you’ll achieve them.
• Adventure awaits and I’m packed.
• All good things must come to an end.

Graduation captions for couples or friends

• We'd like to thank the Academy.
• Couldn't have done it without these people.
• We came, we saw, we conquered.
• Oh, the places we'll go.

• Everything's better together.
• They're the reason I crossed that stage.
• Real world, here we come.
• I owe my diploma to these people.

Sentimental graduation captions

• A good ending is the start of an even better beginning.
• You did it!
• Life is like a graduation cap. You toss it in the air and hope to find it after it lands.
• What once was a dream is now the reality. We made it.
• Wherever you do, do it with all your heart.

• Pursue your dreams with wild abandon.
• The impossible is only possible when you believe.
• And the best part? It’s all smooth sailing from here on out.
• All for one and one graduation for all.

Funny graduation captions

• I spent four years in school and all I got was this lousy diploma.
• The tassel was worth the hassle.
• Hotter by one degree.
• I've already forgotten everything.
• Accepting job offers now. Inquire within my DMs.

• I came. I saw. I graduated.
• I just got schooled. Literally.
• Headed into adulting, but not without a fight.
• Graduation status: Holding it together until the cap toss.
• You know that feeling you get when you graduate? Me too.

• Graduation: The first day of the rest of your summer.
• It's not rocket science. If it was, I wouldn't have graduated.
• Don't put all your diplomas in one basket.
• As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a graduate.
• The Class of 2023: We are outta here!

• I blazed the trail and left behind a dumpster fire.
• To those of you who didn't think I could do it. You were right. See ya in the fall!
• Graduation: the light at the end of the tunnel.
• I kept up the end of my bargain, now where's my diploma?
• I gergitated. Gerduated. Gradjuated. Got my diploma.
• I guess I'm smarter than I look after all.

• Thanks, Google. I couldn't have done it without you.
• It ain’t over until it’s over.
• You're gonna need a bigger tassel.
• Toto, I've a feeling we're not in high school anymore.
• That which doesn't kill us, makes us graduate.
• From this point forward the only pop quiz you've got to worry about is: paper or plastic?

Graduation captions inspired by movies

• “What? Like it’s hard?” — Elle Woods, “Legally Blonde”
• “We’re soarin’, flyin’ / There’s not a star in heaven that we can’t reach / If we’re trying / So, we’re breaking free.” — “Breaking Free,” “High School Musical”
• “If you ain’t first, you’re last.” — Ricky Bobby, “Talladega Nights”
• “My precious.” — Gollum, “Lord of the Rings”
• “To infinity ... and beyond!” — Buzz Lightyear, “Toy Story”
• “This is it! Don’t get scared now.” — Kevin McCallister, “Home Alone”

• “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” — Ferris Bueller, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”
• “Bueller ... Bueller ... Bueller?” — Economics teacher, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”
• “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all. From now on you’ll be traveling the road between who you think you are and who you can be. The key is to allow yourself to make the journey.” —Philippe Renadi, “The Princess Diaries”
• “I want to do something for humanity.” — Cher, “Clueless”
• “We can’t choose where we come from, but we can choose where we go from there.” — Charlie, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”
• “It’s out with the old and in with the new / Goodbye clouds of gray, hello, skies of blue / A dip in the pool, a trip to the spa / Endless days in my chaise / The whole world according to moi” —“Fabulous,” “High School Musical 2”
• “All you can do in life is try to solve the problem in front of you.” — Cady, “Mean Girls”

• “So long ... partner.” — Woody, “Toy Story 3”
• “Who’s the only one here who knows secret Ninja moves from the government?” — Napoleon, “Napoleon Dynamite”
• “Alright, alright, alright!” — David Wooderson, “Dazed and Confused”
• “I’d like to quit thinking of the present, like right now, as some minor, insignificant preamble to somethin’ else.” — Cynthia Dunn, “Dazed and Confused”
• “Here’s some advice. It’s not all about your image. None of it means anything unless people see who you really are.” — Shane Gray, “Camp Rock”

• “It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it’s what you do with your dancin’ shoes.” — Vince Fontaine, “Grease”
• “Yes. No. To get to the other side. Uh, 1.77245.” — Edward Cullen, “Twilight”
• “WHERE IS MY SUPER SUIT?” — Lucius Best, “The Incredibles”
• “I don’t want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don’t want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed.” — Lloyd Dobler, “Say Anything”
• “Deep down you may still be that same great kid you used to be. But it’s not who you are underneath, it’s what you do that defines you.” — Rachel Dawes, “Batman Begins”

Sarah is a lifestyle and entertainment reporter for TODAY who covers holidays, celebrities and everything in between.

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40 Graduation Quotes For Instagram Captions After You Walk Across The Stage

Because you’re feeling all the feels on your big day.

You've been counting down the days until graduation, and it's finally here. It's a major milestone in your life, and prime time to celebrate all the hard work you've put into your degree the past few years. As exciting as the day is, it'll be over within the blink of an eye. You'll want to make the most of it as you’re moving your tassel to the other side, tossing your cap in the air, and hugging all of your college BFFs as if you'll never let go. Don't let these special memories fade, and instead, take as many pictures as possible to pair with graduation quotes for Instagram.

Reminiscing on your graduation day will be so much easier to do when all your pictures are posted on Instagram. Of course, you want to really live in the moment as well, which is why having graduation quotes for Instagram ready to go is so important. You may even be counting down the days until you graduate by posting some of your fave college memories, and for that, you’ll need graduation countdown quotes as well. It really is a bittersweet time as one door closes and another opens. You can be both excited about your next chapter and sad to say goodbye to your college days . With all the mixed emotions involved, it helps to have graduation memories quotes that perfectly sum up how you feel.

In fact, some bittersweet graduation quotes for Instagram are an easy way to express everything you’re feeling with just a few words. So, when you're in a rush to the afterparty or just living in the moment, use any of these 40 graduation caption ideas and walking across the stage at graduation quotes for any pics you want to post. It's your big day, after all, so stay in the moment and keep those memories forever.

• "Behind you, all your memories. Before you, all your dreams. Around you, all who love you. Within you, all you need."
• "What feels like the end is often the beginning."
• "Take pride in how far you've come. Have faith in how far you can go. But don't forget to enjoy the journey." — Michael Josephson
• "It always seems impossible until it's done." — Nelson Mandela
• "Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire." — Jennifer Lee
• "What she tackles, she conquers." — Gilmore Girls
• "This is the beginning of anything you want."
• "You're off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!" — Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!
• "I don't know where I'm going, but I'm on my way." — Carl Sandburg
• "I can and I will. Watch me." — Carrie Green
• "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." — Dr. Seuss
• "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." — Eleanor Roosevelt
• "The tassel was worth the hassle."
• "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." — E. E. Cummings
• "Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try." — John F. Kennedy
• "The thing about new beginnings is that they require something else to end." — Gossip Girl
• "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why." — Mark Twain
• "With brave wings, she flies." — Devin O'Branagan
• "Wherever you go, go with all your heart." — Confucius
• "I think I'm quite ready for another adventure." — Lord of the Rings
• "The best is yet to come." — Frank Sinatra, "The Best Is Yet To Come"
• "The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you." — B.B. King
• "I never dreamed about success. I worked for it." — Estee Lauder
• "Go forth and set the world on fire." — St. Ignatius of Loyola
• "Nothing can dim the light which shines from within." — Maya Angelou
• “Long live the walls we crashed through. I had the time of my life, with you.” — Taylor Swift, “Long Live”
• “Understand that one day you will have the power to make a difference, so use it well.” — Mindy Kaling
• “Change takes courage.” — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
• “If you want to be the best, you have to do things other people aren't willing to do.” — Michael Phelps
• “You already have everything you need inside of you right now, today.” — Alicia Keys
• “The future is always uncertain, but we who celebrate what you have done, who celebrate all of your achievements, we are certain of one thing on this day: You will not let us down.” — Tom Hanks
• “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” — Abraham Lincoln
• “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe.” — Anatole France, Works of Anatole France
• “Ain't about what's waiting on the other side. It's the climb.” — Miley Cyrus, “The Climb”
• “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” — Williams Shakespeare
• “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” — C.S. Lewis
• “I'm off to change the world.”
• “Whatever you do, do it well.” — Walt Disney
• “We must accept the end of something in order to begin to build something new."
• “This is the part where you find out who you are." — The Maine, "Whoever She Is"

This article was originally published on 05.10.18

Best 72 Graduation Captions When You’re Feeling Accomplished

Elias Malassidis Captions graduation , Instagram

Graduation festivities are a special time where so many memories are captured and collected. Selfies and photos with friends, family, and other important influencers help capture the moment, but what about the feelings and thoughts behind these special photos?

They deserve an expressive caption to document what the pictures can’t say. No worries if you didn’t major in English . We have a fantastic collection of captions sure to give all your graduation pics the perfect final touch.

Table of Contents

Cute graduate photo captions, funny graduation captions, high school graduation captions, college graduation captions, short captions for graduation pics.

Add one of these playful captions to accompany all those cute graduation moments.

• It wasn’t always easy or pretty, but I sure had fun in the halls.
• Here’s the cap and gown to prove I’m like smart and stuff.
• Onward to new adventures where I get paid instead of doing the paying.
• Onward to new adventures where I still don’t get paid to learn stuff. #UnpaidIntern
• Braver, stronger, smarter, and about to be a lot less broke. Happy graduation to me!
• I finally got my degree in success !

• Got my BA, and nothing can stop me now…. well, unless it’s the IRS.
• My diploma sends much thanks to all the coffee and ramen noodles for their invaluable contribution.
• See mom and dad, I told you I wasn’t just partying.
• And, now, it’s time to take a very, very, very long nap.
• Diploma in-hand. Yet, I still have no clue if my life anthem should be The Breakfast Club or Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
• I just have one question on graduation day: Do bosses accept notes from mom?
• This tassel was certainly worthy of the hustle and hassle.

Use one of these captions to add a little humor to the magic of graduation day.

• Look ma, no hands!
• And they said B.S. would get me nowhere, but this little piece of paper says otherwise.
• The proudest moments are the ones you earn with sacrifice, commitment, and a lot of strong coffee. They just didn’t say anything about the hypertension in your 20s side effect.
• I’d like to thank whoever created the copy and paste function. You’re a blessing to every graduate everywhere.
• I’m 100% certain that I’m going places. I’m just not sure where. Cheers to the graduate life.
• I hope everyone paid attention and got all the Instagram pics they wanted because I will NOT be doing this again!
• If only using all this accumulated knowledge was as easy as raising your hand in class with the answer.
• #Con-Grad-U-Lations to me! That’s all, folks.

• The best moments in life are equal parts terrifying and exhilarating, and, thanks to a lot of fancy math classes, I can even graph that kind of stuff.
• Every graduate’s ambition is that they learned enough to read the diploma they hope to use.
• How did people ever do this without the internet, Starbucks, and face masks?
• Hey, guess what… it’s hotter in here by at least one degree – mine!
• If only adulting had a grading curve, too, life would be perfect.
• Go me! I can now say that I’m literally qualified to make educated guesses!
• It only takes one college grad to change a light bulb, but, sadly, it may take them up to seven years to get it done. Mission complete at last.
• The last non-adulting picture I’ll take:(

Use one of these texts to capture closing the book on high school.

• The moment you realize the next book won’t be free.
• The cumulative of 12 long years deserves a happy dance.
• It’s been fun, but I’m over it until my 10-year high school reunion.
• I’m guessing this means it’s too late to drop out?
• Does this mean I’m an adult now?
• Forget graduating with honors, I’m just honored this thing didn’t turn into a 13-year journey.
• Dear mom and dad, I may be graduating and heading off college, but please never leave me A-Loan.
• Thank goodness I’m tall. I’d have hated not to be at the top of my graduating class.
• Whoever said high school is so easy to complete clearly never took calculus.
• The sky is the limit now, and, yes, I do accept Visa and MasterCard as graduation gifts.
• Mom told me to put my hand on dad’s shoulder for a natural-looking HS grad photo. Can you believe that my dad said the only natural look would be for me to stick my hand in his pocket.
• Does this cap make my brain look big?

Use one of these texts to capture closing the book on college.

• Trading long hours writing terms papers and thesis papers for long hours writing resumes and employment objectives, but I’ve never been so happy!
• To a degree, university was similar to high school. Aside from my How To Catch a Yeti 101 and The Art of Speed-Walking classes, I also got an A in Puns Are Fun.
• My student loan says I should be crying, but all my trying paying off has me truly smiling.
• This is the first time any school has given me something I don’t secretly hope my dog chews up. Diploma time!
• Can I get a hall pass for this whole get a job thing?
• If there was ever a selfie-worthy moment, it’s capturing the moment you realize that you’ve got to get a job ASAP to pay back your student loans.
• From grade school, to college, to career, to retirement, every ending is just the beginning scene to the next book. Now, if I could just figure out how to fast forward to the retirement part!
• College is supposedly where you find yourself, but I was just happy to find the classrooms.
• I never thought I’d be excited to wear a silly robe and odd hat. But, I swear I’ve never felt more like a rockstar than in this getup!
• Treat college relationships like Pi, knowing your circle’s diameter. I know that I couldn’t have made it without this circle of friends.
• Without them, this day wouldn’t have come to fruition.
• From impossible, to improvising, to improbable, to inevitable, the college journey has been one wild ride.

Add some short and sweet to your final moments of education.

• #FeelingAccomplished outside this educational institution.
• Mastered it and have the paper to prove it.
• I did that, and lived to tell the tale.
• Define yourself by your own definition, and get the diploma to match.
• One and done.
• First, you have to believe you can. Then, you go and do.
• If you can be as proud of who you are as what you’ve learned to be, then college was a success.
• It’s only the beginning of me.
• I finally completed the dress rehearsal for life.
• I don’t always graduate, but, when I do, I graduate with honors.
• After lessons followed by tests, I’m ready for tests followed by lessons.
• This is how you graduate, folks.
• I ran in case someone changed their mind.
• Another box checked on my way to world domination, or at least local fame.
• There went 35,040 hours, and all I have to show is a piece of paper?
• Stay tuned… This isn’t the end.

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50+ Best Graduation Captions that Go Amazingly with Degree

Ollie Mattison

Versatile video editor - wondershare filmora.

An easy yet powerful editor with numerous effects to choose from.

Easily add graduation captions to videos .

Graduation is an extraordinary event that takes place once in a person's life. At this time, it is essential to let your friends and family know the milestone you have achieved, and now you're looking for funny graduation captions to sum it up. Whether to write in your friends' yearbooks for social media or invitations for family, we are here to give you graduation quotes for Instagram.

In this article, we have some of the most excellent captions for all your graduation D-day, from inspirational and funny graduation captions to the sad ones. You can thank all the friends and family who supported you by posting a sweet photo or simply showing off your graduation cap. These graduation captions will cover your memorable day, and you will receive all the sweet likes to match that precious degree.

In this article

Part 1: what to look for before making a graduation caption for instagram.

Your graduation day or the graduation day of your special friend is a time of good wishes and celebration. If you need tips to write a perfect graduation caption for me, then look no further, as this section will provide you with information on writing graduation Instagram captions.

• If you could not hold a party for whatever reason, acknowledge how proud you are of yourself and how excited you would have wanted to host. Even if you can't host a commencement ceremony or reception, you can still make the ceremony felt in your graduation quotes for Instagram and let your family and friends know you wish for a physical party.
• Whether you acquire a diploma, a program certificate, a degree, or even a new professional title, your hard work deserves some warm thoughts of recognition. In your short graduation caption, remind yourself of how far you have come and get the creative juices flowing.
• Graduation usually marks the start of a new chapter, a time to reflect on the past and look forward to the future. Whether you are young or old, offer a piece of advice or inspiration through a graduation caption for Facebook to the would-be graduate so they can use it to navigate through the journey they are about to embark on.
• You can include a thankful message in your graduation caption for me to those who had helped you when you acquired the degree.
• Finally, you need an efficient tool to help you add the graduation quote to your video/photo.

Now that you have the best tips and tricks for writing a heartfelt graduation caption peruse our short graduation captions to select thoughtful words and phrases to include in social media posts.

Part 2: 50+ Graduation Captions to Inspire You in 2022!

Now is the end of studying late into the night, going to class, and even shedding a few tears. It is time to walk across the stage and receive your degree while you bid farewell to your friends and welcome a new chapter. Here are perfect graduation captions for Facebook and other social media platform from Inspirational, funny, cute, and many more Graduation Captions

Inspirational Graduation Captions

• May your cap fly as high as your dreams
• Though our branches grow in different directions, our roots remain as one.
• Let your dreams be more significant than your fears, your actions louder than your words, and your faith more vital than your feelings.
• And so the adventure begins.
• This is the beginning of everything you want.
• Once you become fearless, life becomes limitless.
• What feels like the end is often the beginning.
• If it excites you and scares you at the same time, it probably means you should do it.
• The best way to predict the future is to create it.
• I am not letting anyone or anything stand in my way.
• Whatever is good for your soul, that's what you should do?
• Every end has a new beginning.
• I believed I could, so I did.
• If you can dream it, you can make it so.

Funny Graduation Captions

• "I am ready to face any challenge that might be foolish enough to face me."
• "I graduated, so now I'm like all smart and stuff."
• "What, like it is hard?"
• "She doesn't even go here."
• "Did everyone see that? Because I will not be doing it again."
• "Thank you, Mom, Dad, and coffee."
• "This wasn't like High School Musical at all."
• "I'm 100 percent certain that I am zero percent sure of what I'm going to do."
• "I owe my diploma to coffee."
• "Bye Felicia."
• "Can I take a nap now?"
• "Pick me. Choose me. Hire me."
• "I'm ready to party!"
• "I still have no idea what I'm doing."
• "And I knew exactly what to do. But in a much more real sense, I had no idea what to do."
• "Already forgot everything."
• "Out of college, money spent. See no future, pay no rent. All the money's gone, nowhere to go."
• "I don't want to do things. I want to not do things."
• "Teenage angst has paid off well. Now I'm bored and old."
• "Now that you've graduated, just remember: Bosses don't usually accept notes from your mother."
• "It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education."
• "My education was interrupted only by my schooling."
• "It's been one blur of fun."
• "I guess it's too late to drop out now, huh?"
• "Crushed it."
• "Welcome to the real world, they said. It sucks, but you're going to love it."
• "I woke up like this… Just kidding, it took four years."
• "Thanks, Nike. I just did it."
• "The limit does not exist."

Cute Graduation Captions

• How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.
• Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.
• The best feeling in the world is knowing your parents are smiling because of you.
• Behind you, all your memories. Before you, all your dreams. Around you, all who love you? Within you, all you need.
• May we continue to do amazing things in life?
• You’ve sacrificed a lot for my future. It may take a lifetime, but I’ll do everything to repay for what you have done for me. Thanks, Mom and Dad.
• Many dreams, some try, but I achieved.
• Dream big, work hard, stay focused, and surround yourself with good people.
• Reach for the stars. You might become one.
• Never stop dreaming and never lose your spirit.

Part 3: Make a Graduation Video and Preserve Your Graduation Memories

Filmora has proven to be the best tool for making a graduation video and preserving your graduation memories, and also make short graduation captions due to its features which includes:

• It enables users to edit and export 4K videos
• It allows users to make use of noise removal
• This software supports an advanced text editor
• It uses an audio mixer and audio equalizer
• Filmora to detect a video scene

Here is how to make funny graduation captions video slideshow to spice up along with your graduation theme cake;

Wondershare Filmora

Get started easily with Filmora's powerful performance, intuitive interface, and countless effects!

Step 1: Install Filmora, Go to New Project, and Import Photos

Open the Filmora graduation caption for me, video maker, click on New Project to create a project, and drag and drop your photos or videos on the timeline.

Step 2: Add Captions/Effects to the Video

Add short graduation captions with subtitles, effects, and texts to the video.

Add transition or motion effect for a graduation photo video from the many transitions preset available in the transition library.

Add an external song from your phone library or choose from the Filmstock icon to find more royalty-free music.

Step 3: Preview and Export

Preview your media and click on Export to save your graduation video in any format and share the video of graduation caption for Facebook on other social media platforms.

Hence, this article gave users perfect graduation captions and taught them how to make funny graduation captions videos. There are many more graduation captions for me that you can use to begin your 2022 and make your event incredible via excellent software like Filmora.

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60 Clever and Original Graduation Captions For Instagram

Are you looking for the perfect graduation captions for your Instagram posts? Here are 60 insanely clever and unique graduation captions you can use!

Graduating, whether it’s from high school or college, is a huge milestone, so it’s definitely something you’ll want to share with your friends, family, and the whole world!

If you haven’t yet, you NEED to get some photos taken with your cap and gown to have a nice memory and, why not, post them on Instagram. I always like to say that we should be ourselves on social media so no matter what your vibe is, you need a good Instagram caption that captures this important day in your life and is 100% you.

Whether you’re looking for something funny, an inspirational quote, or the perfect song lyrics, here are 60 clever and original graduation captions for Instagram!

60 BEST GRADUATION CAPTIONS FOR INSTAGRAM

Funny graduation captions.

Every goodbye is a bit less tough with some sense of humor. I love funny graduation captions because they are the best way to end a chapter without sounding too sad.

1. «Every year, many, many stupid people graduate from college. And if they can do it, so can you.»

2. Sleepy but graduated!

3. It was about damn time.

4. The tassel was worth the hassle

5. Now, it’s hotter in here by one degree

6. I graduated, so I’m like all smart and stuff

7. Well, I am usually not one for speeches, so goodbye!

8. Con-grad-ulations

9. I am 100% certain that I am zero percent sure what I’m going to do

11. This wasn’t like High School Musical at all

12. Did everyone see that? Because I’m not doing it again

13. Thank you family, friends, and coffee

14. Outta this place!

15. Can’t wait to never do this again!

INSPIRATIONAL GRADUATION CAPTIONS

You’re graduating! Now it’s the time to get emotional and stay motivated about the future. These inspirational graduation captions are the perfect way to sum up what you’ve accomplished –which is a big deal!

16. Congrats, you survived the hard years. Now get out there and show the world what you’re made of.

17. And so the adventure begins

18. Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened

19. Every ending comes with a new beginning

20. I trust the next chapter because I know the author

21. Follow your passion, it will lead you to your purpose

22. Nonetheless, she persisted!

23. Go forth and change the world

24. The future is yours and you’re the future

25. It always seems impossible until it’s done

26. Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.

27. «The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.» –Eleanor Roosevelt

28. «The best way to predict your future is to create it.» –Abraham Lincoln

29. Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Take the moment and make it perfect.

30. Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

MOVIE GRADUATION CAPTIONS

For the big movie quote fans, here are the best graduation captions for Instagram any cinema lover can think of. Funny, short, and sweet.

31. «She doesn’t even go here!» –Mean Girls

32. «I had the time of my life.» –Dirty Dancing

33. «What, like it’s hard?» –Legally Blonde

34. «Just keep swimming.» –Little Nemo

35. «Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one.» –Pocahontas

36. «With great power comes great responsibility.» –Spiderman

37. «You have to get lost before you find yourself.» –Paper Towns

38. «Thanks for the adventure, now go have one of your own.» –Up

39. «May the rest of your lives be the best of your lives.» –Mamma Mia 2

40. «Open different doors, you may find a new you there that you never knew was yours.» –Mary Poppins

41. «I never look back, darling! It distracts from the now.» –The Incredibles

42. «Isn’t it amazing what clever girls can do?» –Peter Pan

43. «It’s time to see what I can do to test the limits and breakthrough.» –Frozen

44. «And in this moment, I swear, we are infinite.» –The Perks Of Being a Wallflower

45. «When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Life will be all like: whaaat?» –Modern Family

46. «Don’t trust anyone that says you can’t do it, show them you can.» –Rapunzel

SONG LYRICS GRADUATION CAPTIONS

Music has probably been a huge help during these four years of studying and working hard. Song lyrics always make the best Instagram captions, so why not use them as your graduation caption? Here are some songs that are PERFECT to add to your graduation post!

47. «Tonight’s the night when we forget about the deadlines» –Taylor Swift

48. «God, it’s brutal out here.» –Olivia Rodrigo

49. «I will survive» –Gloria Gaynor

50. «It’s something unpredictable. But in the end, it’s right. I hope you had the time of your life» –Green Day

51. «And you’re gonna hear me roar!» –Katy Perry

52. «Thanks for the memories» –Fall Out Boy

53. «If it makes you happy, it can’t be that bad» –Sheryl Crow

54. «I wish that I could have this moment for life» –Nicki Minaj

55. «Started from the bottom, now we’re here» –Drake

56. «You say goodbye, I say hello» –The Beatles

57. «Imagine having everything we ever dreamed» –Sharpay Evans from High School Musical

58. «I’m on the right track, baby» –Lady Gaga

59. «I want it, I got it» –Ariana Grande

60. «This is what dreams are made of» –Lizzy Mcguire

This post was all about the best graduation captions!

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Graduation Captions

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The day is finally here! After years of going to class, studying late into the night, and maybe even shedding a few tears, it’s time at last to walk across the stage and receive your diploma. While you’ll certainly miss all your friends, it’s time to welcome an exciting new chapter in your life by throwing the best graduation party . But while you’re enjoying the festive cake and opening your graduation gifts, you’ll of course want to commemorate one of the most special days of your entire life with plenty of photos to share on social media — and of course, the best graduation captions. Here, we’ve rounded up some of the greatest graduation Instagram captions for all your cap-and-gown pics, from funny quotes and inspirational sayings to ones inspired by sad graduation songs. Whether you’re posting a sweet photo to thank all the friends and family who supported you along the way or simply showing off your  creative graduation cap , these captions for graduation have you covered on your very special day — and will get you all the sweet likes to match that sweet diploma!

Create A Custom Graduation Announcement Online

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100+ Graduation Captions for Your Instagram

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Celebrating a graduation that reflects your religious beliefs is a great way to honor the big day, share your relationship with Christ, and offer words of encouragement. If faith plays an important role in your life or the graduate’s, then sharing a few bible verses in your graduation messages may be the perfect way to honor the occasion. 6 min read

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Honor your grad by sharing one of these heartfelt graduation quotes and sayings to celebrate and inspire new graduates on their rite of passage. These words of wisdom are sure to be perfect for any thoughtful graduation card, gift inscription, or a well-received graduation Instagram caption. 19 min read

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Home Essay Samples Education

Essay Samples on Graduation

Graduation is an exciting time in any student’s life. It’s a time to celebrate achievements, reflect on the past, and look towards the future. If you’re tasked with writing an essay on this topic, it can be a daunting task. However, with some helpful tips and graduation essay examples, you can craft a perfect essay about graduation.

One way to approach an essay on graduation is to focus on a particular moment or experience from the graduation ceremony. For example, you might write about the feeling of receiving your diploma or the emotions you felt as you walked across the stage. By focusing on a specific moment, you can create a more compelling and personal essay.

Another approach is to write about the broader significance of graduation. You can explore the importance of education, the challenges that students face, and the impact that graduation has on individuals and society. By taking a more philosophical approach, you can create a more thought-provoking essay that engages readers on a deeper level.

When it comes to graduation essay topics, the possibilities are endless. You might write about the history of graduation ceremonies, the impact of technology on graduation, or the role of graduation in different cultures. Whatever topic you choose, make sure it’s something that you’re passionate about and that you can explore in depth.

In conclusion, writing a perfect essay about graduation requires creativity, passion, and attention to detail. By using graduation essay examples and following the tips above, you can craft an essay that celebrates the importance of graduation and inspires readers to reflect on their own educational journeys.

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Prom Night and Prom Limo Rentals as Integral Parts of Graduation

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Best topics on Graduation

1. How a Graduate Degree Can Help You Achieve Your Career Goals

2. Career Goals After Graduation: Mapping the Journey

3. Advantages and Disadvantages of a Gap Year: Exploring Paths of Exploration and Reflection

4. My Convocation Day: An Experience I Will Never Forget

5. What I Want To Do After My Graduation

6. A College Degree: The Next Step or a Mere Stepping Stone

7. Prom Night and Prom Limo Rentals as Integral Parts of Graduation

8. The Negative Preconceptions Surrounding the Prom Night

9. The Search for a Suitable Limo for a Prom Night

10. Relevance of Changes in Canadian Employment Law

11. Steven Spielberg Commencement Speech in Harvard University

12. How Well Do High Schools Prepare Teens for Life after Graduation

13. Looking Back at the Many Years of a School Life

14. My Highschool Reflections Before Graduation

15. Graduation as a Transitional Experience and a Rite of Passage

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150+ Timeless Graduation Captions and Quotes For Social Media

Graduation is an emotional life event not only for grads, but parents and family of the graduate too. The event marks a time to reflect on the accomplishments made in school while looking ahead to the future. This is a time of transition that can bring mixed emotions for parents who are both proud and a little sad realizing their child is officially all grown up.

Do you want to share an inspiring message or perhaps humble brag about your grad, but struggle finding the right words to say? Not to worry as we’ve organized the best slogans and quotes that honor a graduation from high school or college. You can express these verbally, in a hand-written card, or on Facebook or Instagram.

Graduation Captions for You

Graduation Captions.

Graduating is one of the best days of your life, and you need to be ready to post your pics with the right captions so everyone knows you made it. Here are some of the best captions you can apply to graduation photos.

• And so the adventure begins.
• Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.
• Dream big, work hard, stay focused, and surround yourself with good people.

Every end is a new beginning.

• I believed I could, so I did.
• If it excites you and scares you at the same time, it probably means you should do it.
• If you can dream it, you can make it so.
• Let your dreams be bigger than your fears, your actions louder than your words, and your faith stronger than your feelings.
• Many dream, some try, but I achieved.
• May we continue to do amazing things in life.
• May your cap fly as high as your dreams.
• Never stop dreaming and never lose your spirit.
• Not letting anyone or anything stand in my way.
• Now, it’s hotter in here by one degree.
• Once you become fearless, life becomes limitless.

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• Reach for the stars. You might become one.
• The best way to predict the future is to create it.
• This is the beginning of everything you want.
• Though our branches grow in different directions, our roots remain as one.
• What feels like the end is often the beginning.
• Wherever life plants you, bloom with grace.
• Your future is an unwritten symphony just awaiting your creative, daring and unique talent to make it a masterpiece.
• Now, everything awaits me.
• One step closer.
• Keep shining. The world needs your light.
• Gotta chase my own success.
• Make today your day.
• Some have a story. We made history.
• Shout out to everyone who helped make this happen.
• The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.

Virtual Graduation Captions

Virtual graduations have become the new normal over the past year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get those all-important grad pics to post on your pages. So for those that are graduating online, these memorable captions go along with the Zoom-grad photos of your friends and family.

• To all of you who said I wouldn’t be walking down the aisle to get my diploma: You were right, lol!
• Definitely not the graduation I imagined, but thankful to have my wonderful family by my side through it all.
• I’m so proud of us, the class of 2020! Against all odds, we were able to make it here.
• Quarantine couldn’t stop us from graduating… looking forward to seeing what the future holds!
• I couldn’t have done it without my wonderful teachers! But most importantly: my sanity.
• Even though we didn’t get a typical sendoff into the real world, I wouldn’t change a thing. Congrats class of 2020!
• Never thought I’d finish my final class from the comfort of my own home. Here’s to the class of 2020!
• Graduation teaches us that milestones are not just achievements, but a new beginning.
• Guess I was able to make a few of those 11:59 deadlines.
• I personally would like to thank *me* for getting to this point.
• The two most important mothers in my life: my real ma and my (diplo)ma.
• Hiring managers: note that I’m extremely qualified to work from home.
• Cap and gown, but make it a robe and sweats.
• We love a “socially distanced” commencement.
• Looking at my final grades, I don’t need a ceremony outside to get some vitamin Ds.
• The best thing about virtual graduation: BYOB.
• Sadly missed the opportunity for my graduation stage fall to go viral.
• Doing the graduation walk: from the bedroom to the kitchen.
• Shout-out to passion and Purell for getting me through the final stretch.
• Formal apology to the Class of 2020 for mocking their Zoom graduation.
• What’s the best version of “Pomp and Circumstance” on Spotify?
• I’m just shocked I was able to stay awake during those virtual lectures TBH.
• Caffeine and my TikTok FYP got me here.

Funny Graduation Captions

Here are some of the funniest graduation captions you can use for your IG photo posts this year.

• Already forgot everything.
• Am I an adult now?
• Can I take a nap now?
• Con-grad-ulations.
• I graduated, but I still have no idea what I’m doing.
• I graduated, so now I’m like all smart and stuff.
• I guess it’s too late to drop out now, huh?
• I guess it’s too late to drop out.
• I owe my diploma to coffee.
• I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever invented copy and paste.
• I’m 100% certain that I am zero percent sure of what I’m going to do.
• Is this that ‘success elevator’ I keep hearing about?
• Let me put that ‘hire me’ sign on my front lawn now.
• Some graduate with honors, I am just honored to graduate.
• Thank you Mom, Dad, and coffee.
• The tassel was worth the hassle.
• This fancy paper proves I’m smart, right?

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• This wasn’t like High School Musical at all.
• Very proud, very tired.
• Tomorrow will be a new chapter in my life. This book is getting very interesting.
• Be so good, they can’t ignore you.
• I can’t believe I did it.
• The world is my oyster.
• Nobody said it was easy.
• I think I’m quite ready for another adventure.
• I am ready to face any challenge that might be foolish enough to face me.
• Pick me. Choose me. Hire me.
• And I knew exactly what to do. But in a much more real sense, I had no idea what to do.
• I don’t want to do things. I want to not do things.
• Teenage angst has paid off well. Now I’m bored and old.
• Now that you’ve graduated, just remember: Bosses don’t usually accept notes from your mother

Graduation Captions for Parents

Your parents coped with your teenage years with understanding and love. Here are some captions you to use to thank them and show how grateful you really are, now that you’re an adult.

• The best feeling in the world is knowing your parents are smiling because of you.
• One day I’ll be successful and people will ask me which college I went to. I’ll say, ‘it doesn’t matter because it is my parents who made me what I am today’.
• Graduation, aka the day your parents start collecting interest.
• I’m so glad you could spend all that money on THIS piece of paper.
• Thank you for your love and support throughout my years of schooling.
• You have always been there for me, ready to lend a hand whenever I needed.
• It is because of your guidance that I am graduating college today.
• I am eternally grateful and blessed by your beautiful, kind-hearted spirits.
• I want to say “Thank You” for all of your love, encouragement and support.
• All that we are & all that we hope to be, we owe to our loving parents!
• As I move through this chapter of my life I am eternally Grateful & Blessed to have been gifted a mother such as you.
• You both have fostered confidence and passion in me to work hard and pursue my dreams with no boundaries. I am so lucky to have you both.
• Cheers to four years of nine-hour road trips, weekly phone calls, and your constant support. Without you two I wouldn’t have been able to do it.
• If college has taught me anything, it has taught me how extraordinary my upbringing has been. I owe
• all good in my life to you.
• Thank you so much, for being my parents.
• Thank you so much for supporting and understanding me all this journey.
• Any success I’ll have will be the direct result of the work ethic and values you both instilled in me at a young age.
• I am extremely grateful to you for giving me the opportunity to study at college. It was the best legacy that you could have passed down to me. Thank you for giving me so much to be grateful for.

I feel so grateful and blessed to have parents like you in my life. In addition, thank you so much for your support—both emotional and financial—over the years. I love you, Mom and Dad.

• I am who I am today because of your effort, guidance, and support. I couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you for your endurance and for never giving up on me—even when I made it hard for you.
• I am highly blessed to have such amazing parents and grateful for all the skills you have instilled in me. You are one in a million!
• Your contribution to my success does not go unnoticed. If not for your care and support, I wouldn’t be standing among the graduates today.
• Thank you for the values you have instilled in me—especially perseverance and honesty. I would not be who I am today without your commitment and support.
• This degree is partly yours as well: It would never have been possible without your support and guidance. Thank you for everything!

My inspirations.

Inspiring Graduation Quotes

Here are some inspiring quotes from celebrities and famous names on the subject of graduation.

• I never dreamed about success. I worked for it. – Estee Lauder
• Did everyone see that? Because I will not be doing it again. —Pirates of the Caribbean
• Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the moon. — Paul Brandt
• No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world. — Dead Poet’s Society
• We know what we are but know not what we may be. —William Shakespeare
• There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind. —C.S. Lewis

If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it. —William Arthur Ward

• You can never be overdressed or overeducated. —Oscar Wilde
• The fireworks begin today. Each diploma is a lighted match. Each one of you is a fuse. —Edward Koch
• Inspiring people is a definition of success. — Kanye West
• You have to get lost before you find yourself. — Paper Towns
• To infinity and beyond! — Toy Story
• An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest. — Benjamin Franklin
• Sometimes, you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory. — Dr. Seuss

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go… — Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

• I can and I did. — Gina Rodriguez
• Believe in yourselves. Dream. Try. Do good. — Boy Meets World
• The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. — Eleanor Roosevelt
• Well, I am not usually one for speeches, so goodbye. — Parks and Recreation
• We have to dance it out. That’s how we finish. — Grey’s Anatomy
• It is with passion, courage of conviction, and strong sense of self that we take our next steps into the world. —Legally Blonde
• She turned her can’ts into cans, and her dreams into plans. —Kobi Yamada
• Dream big and dare to fail. —Norman Vaughan
• What she tackles, she conquers. —Gilmore Girls
• Go forth and set the world on fire. – St. Ignatius of Loyola

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined. – Henry David Thoreau

• Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try. – John F. Kennedy
• My education was interrupted only by my schooling. – Winston Churchill
• It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. – Albert Einstein
• What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. – Jane Goodall

Graduation Quotes Inspired by Music

The best is yet to come.

And if the quotes from the celebs are not enough, here are some other kinds of quotes to inspire you in your life ahead. These are taken from famous songs and singers that span multiple generations.

• As we go on, we remember all the times we had together. —Vitamin C
• I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on my way. —George Fairman
• The best is yet to come. —Frank Sinatra
• And this is the part where you find out who you are. — The Maine, ‘Whoever She Is’
• But I know, we’ve made it this far, kid. — Twenty One Pilots, ‘Migraine’
• Don’t you know I’m still standing better than I ever did? — Elton John, ‘I’m Still Standing’
• Hey look ma, I made it. Everything’s comin’ up aces. If it’s a dream, don’t wake me. — Panic! at the Disco, ‘Hey Look Ma, I Made It’
• I believe in myself; My back hurts in order to let my wings sprout. — BTS, ‘Wings’
• I will leave my mark so everyone will know I was here. — Beyoncé, ‘I Was Here’
• I wish that I could have this moment for life. — Nicki Minaj
• I’m in love with my future. — Billie Eilish, ‘My Future’
• It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right, I hope you had the time of your life. — Green Day, ‘Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)’

Long live all the magic we made and bring on all the pretenders. One day, we will be remembered. — Taylor Swift, ‘Long Live’

• Man this wasn’t luck, it was destined. — Big Sean, ‘Blessings’
• Now they always say congratulations. Worked so hard, forgot how to vacation. — Post Malone, ‘Congratulations’
• Oh, look what you made me do. — Taylor Swift, ‘Look What You Made Me Do’
• Started from the bottom now we’re here. — Drake, ‘Started From The Bottom’
• There’s just no telling how far I’ll go. — Moana, ‘How Far I’ll Go’
• Today is where your book begins. The rest is still unwritten. — Natasha Bedingfield, ‘Unwritten’
• Out of college, money spent. See no future, pay no rent. All the money’s gone, nowhere to go. – The Beatles

Getting your degree is an important rite of passage for any high school or college student, but being able to say a thoughtful few words is even more important as a parent. Inspire your graduate to continue chasing dreams and working hard toward their goals.

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Top 100+ Perfect Graduation Instagram Captions 2021 | Best Instagram Captions for Graduation Pictures During Quarantine

Graduation Instagram Captions: Finally, the day is here where degree & engineering students wait for ie., ‘Graduation’! But, this year’s Graduation ceremony would be impossible due to the coronavirus Pandemic 2021. Not get upset guys, there is another option where you can enjoy Graduation ceremonies ie., Virtual ceremonies. You can make an event virtually and do enjoy the feel of the graduation day as you all have experienced while listening to classes.

To post the graduating pics during quarantine, we have listed out amazing & fantastic Graduation Instagram Captions for all your Fire Cap and Gown Selfies. Let’s go ahead and dive into the Best Captions for Graduation Pictures.

• Instagram Quotes for Girls & Boys Attitude Pics
• Best Clever Instagram Captions (copy-paste) on your Next Postings

These 100+ Best Instagram Captions for Graduation Pics Make Your Virtual Ceremony Very Special

Graduation day is a fusion of sadness and happiness. When you are with your friends while graduation day that’s the best time you’ll never live in your life. So, having memorable moments will make you cherish them all the time. Clicking lots of pictures & selfies with caps and gowns and fun videos in the graduation costume remains so special for you all.

Posting these graduation pics is one more enjoyable moment at that time. Therefore, here we are presenting the best collection of Perfect, Funny, Good, Clever Graduation Captions For Instagram that would surely give weight to your graduation day Instagram post.

When you’re experiencing “Graduation: 2021 Edition”

When you’re just oozing with pride, best instagram captions for graduating during quarantine, top 10 graduation instagram captions, good graduation captions for instagram post.

• Cute Instagram Graduation Captions

Funny Graduation Insta Captions

• College Graduation Captions
• High School Graduation Captions

Instagram Captions for Graduation Pictures

Instagram graduation captions for friends, cheesy graduation captions instagram, clever high school to degree graduation quotes for instagram.

• Music Lyric Captions for Graduation Instagram Posts

Inspirational Graduation IG Captions

Graduation puns for instagram.

• Cap and gown, but make it a robe and sweats.
• Doing the graduation walk: from the bedroom to the kitchen.
• Formal apology to the Class of 2021 for mocking that Zoom graduation.
• I’m just shocked I was able to stay awake during those virtual lectures TBH.
• Looking at my final grades, I don’t need a ceremony outside to get some vitamin Ds.
• Sadly missed the opportunity for my graduation stage fall to go viral.
• Shoutout to passion and Purell for getting me through the final stretch.
• Started from the bottom, now we here.
• The best thing about virtual graduation: BYOB.
• We love a ~socially distanced~ commencement.
• What’s the best version of “Pomp and Circumstance” on Spotify?
• Guess I was able to make a few of those 11:59 deadlines.
• I personally would like to thank *me* for getting to this point.
• I’d like to thank coffee for allowing me to get to this point.
• Last, but not least, I express my gratitude to Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V.
• The two most important mothers in my life: my real ma and my (diplo)ma
• Wow, this was so unexpected. I didn’t expect to get this degree. So I’d like to thank the Academy….
• “To all of you who said I wouldn’t be walking down the aisle to get my diploma: You were right, lol!”
• “Definitely not the graduation I imagined, but thankful to have my wonderful family by my side through it all.”
• “I’m so proud of us, the class of 2021! Against all odds, we were able to make it here.”
• “Quarantine couldn’t stop us from graduating… looking forward to seeing what the future holds!”
• “I couldn’t have done it without my wonderful teachers! But most importantly: my sanity.”
• “Even though we didn’t get a typical sendoff into the real world, I wouldn’t change a thing. Congrats class of 2021!”
• “Never thought I’d finish my final class from the comfort of my own home. Here’s to the class of 2021!”

• “Always remember: You’re braver than you believe and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – Carter Crocker
• “Believe in yourselves. Dream. Try. Do good.” — Boy Meets World
• “Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the moon.” — Paul Brandt
• “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela
• I’m 100 percent certain that I am zero percent sure of what I’m going to do.
• Let your dreams be bigger than your fears, your actions louder than your words, and your faith stronger than your feelings.
• Now that you’ve graduated, just remember: Bosses don’t usually accept notes from your mother.
• She believed she could, so she did.
• Your education is a dress rehearsal for life, that is yours to lead.
• “Graduation teaches us that milestones are not just achievements, but a new beginning.”
• “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe
• “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
• A lot of your successes, you owe to the ones who gave you your wings to fly.
• Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes.
• Graduation is an exciting time. It’s both an ending and a beginning: it’s warm memories of the past and big dreams for the future
• Make today your day
• Oh, how I’ve waited for this day. Welcome to being an adult.
• One day, you will look back and see that all along you were blooming
• The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future.
• The passionate, the beautiful, and the young at heart.
• The Smell of opportunities
• The world needs women who not only think of competing with others but also women who lift and build.
• There is no elevator to success, you need to take the stairs
• Today is a good day to have a good day

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Cute & Sweet Insta Graduation Captions

• “Be a little more you and a lot less them.” – Unknown
• “Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” – Unknown
• “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” – E. E. Cummings
• “Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.” – Maya Angelou
• “She laughs without fear of the future.” – Proverbs 31:25
• “She turned her cant’s into cans, and her dreams into plans.” – Kobi Yamada
• “What she tackles, she conquers.” – Gilmore Girls
• “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” — Confucius
• “With brave wings, she flies.” – Devin O’Branagan
• A sweet end to a new Begin ❤
• Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined
• Graduation means new beginnings
• I think our life is a journey, and we make mistakes, and it’s how we learn from those mistakes and rebound from those mistakes that set us on the path that we’re meant to be on.
• Keep learning, keep going, keep doing your best in the next stage of life, don’t give up, so you’ll achieve what you dream of
• Little girl with dreams become a woman with a vision
• The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.
• The phase of our lives when we graduate and look back upon the journey we have been through
• Let’s the adventure begins
• The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes
• True that! You’re starting a new chapter in your life!
• You become what you believe. Believe in yourself

College Graduation Captions for Instagram

• “Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.” – John F. Kennedy
• “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.” – Henry David Thoreau
• “Go forth and set the world on fire.” – St. Ignatius of Loyola
• “I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on my way.” – Carl Sandburg
• “If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.” – Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
• “The best feeling in the world is to know that your parents are smiling because of you.” – Unknown
• “The thing about new beginnings is that they require something else to end.” – Gossip Girl
• “You’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!” – Dr. Seuss

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High School Graduation Instagram Captions

• “And so the adventure begins.” – Unknown
• “As we go on, we remember all the times we had together.” – Vitamin C
• “Behind you, all your memories. Before you, all your dreams. Around you, all who love you. Within you, all you need.” – Unknown
• “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss
• “Let the new adventures begin.” – Unknown
• “Take pride in how far you’ve come. Have faith in how far you can go. But don’t forget to enjoy the journey.” – Michael Josephson
• “The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.” – J.R.R. Tolkien
• “What feels like the end is often the beginning.” – Unknown
• The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
• Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure.
• Once you become fearless, life becomes limitless.
• I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever invented copy and paste!
• I can’t believe I did it.
• At graduation, you get to wear a cap and gown, but it’s a good idea to also wear something underneath it.
• “We have to dance it out. That’s how we finish.” — Grey’s Anatomy
• “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it.” —William Arthur Ward
• “Be so good, they can’t ignore you.” — Steve Martin
• “Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.” – Jennifer Lee

• Welcome to the real world, they said. It sucks, but you’re going to love it.
• The best views are the hardest to climb.
• It’s been one blur of fun.
• Follow your passion, It will lead you to the purpose.
• Bye, Felicia!
• All our dreams can come true, If we have the courage to pursue them.
• “The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.” —B.B. King
• “Sometimes, you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” — Dr. Seuss
• “But I know, we’ve made it this far, kid.” — Twenty One Pilots “Migraine”

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• End of an era.
• The best is yet to come.
• Welcome to the real world.
• And so it begins.
• Thanks for memz.
• ConGRADulations!

• A dream becomes a goal when action is taking towards an achievement.
• A dream is a wish your heart makes.
• Isn’t it funny, day by day, nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different.
• May your cap fly as high as your dreams.
• The best view comes after the hardest climb.
• This wasn’t like High School Musical at all.
• Tomorrow will be a new chapter in my life. This book is getting very interesting.
• You’ve sacrificed a lot for my future. It may take a lifetime, but I’ll do everything to repay for what you have done for me. Thanks, Mom and Dad.

Insta Quotes Inspired by Song Lyrics | Music Lyric Captions for Graduation Instagram Posts

• “Ain’t about how fast I get there. Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side. It’s the climb.” — Miley Cyrus, ‘The Climb’
• “And this is the part where you find out who you are.” — The Maine, ‘Whoever She Is’
• “But I know, we’ve made it this far, kid.” — Twenty One Pilots, ‘Migraine’
• “Hey look ma, I made it. Everything’s comin’ up aces. If it’s a dream, don’t wake me.” — Panic! at the Disco, ‘Hey Look Ma, I Made It’
• “Man this wasn’t luck, it was destined” — Big Sean “Blessings”
• “Now they always say congratulations. Worked so hard, forgot how to vacation.” — Post Malone ‘Congratulations’
• “Oh, look what you made me do.” — Taylor Swift, ‘Look What You Made Me Do’
• “Started from the bottom now we’re here.” — Drake, ‘Started From The Bottom’
• “There’s just no telling how far I’ll go.” – Moana, ‘How Far I’ll Go’
• “Today is where your book begins. The rest is still unwritten.” — Natasha Bedingfield, ‘Unwritten’

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• If it excites you and scares you at the same time, it probably means you should do it.
• The best way to predict the future is to create it.
• This is the beginning of everything you want.
• Though our branches grow in different directions, our roots remain as one.
• “Always do whatever’s next.” – George Carlin
• “Call me a chemistry cylinder because I am graduated.” – Unknown
• “Con-grad-ulations.” – Unknown
• “I hope this B.S. pays off.” – Unknown
• “It was worth the B.S.” – Unknown
• “It’s not a tiara, but it will do for now.” – Unknown
• “Now it’s hotter in here by one degree.” – Unknown
• “Oh yeah, look at me and my grad self.” – Unknown
• “Proud of my B.S.” – Unknown
• “The tassel was worth the hassle.” – Unknown
• “Well, I am not usually one for speeches, so goodbye.” – Parks and Recreation

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Meet the 2024 Honorary Degree Recipients

Five leaders and pioneers will be honored for their service to the world

Duke University will welcome comedian and actor Jerry Seinfeld as commencement speaker and recognize five honorary degree recipients at its commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 12. The ceremony procession begins at 9 a.m.

Now in his fifth decade as a stand-up comedian, Seinfeld is best known for playing a fictionalized version of himself in the eponymous sitcom he cocreated with Larry David for NBC. Seinfeld aired for nine seasons and 180 episodes between 1989 and 1998 and was the most-watched show in America at various points during its run. It is often cited as one of the best and most influential television comedy series ever made, and Seinfeld won an Emmy and a Golden Globe award for his acting on the show.

Seinfeld graduated from Queens College, City University of New York with a degree in communications and theater in 1976. His career has included numerous stand-up specials and documentaries. His interview series, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, which featured Seinfeld interviewing fellow comedians and other public figures while driving to get coffee, ended in 2019 after 11 seasons.

I am delighted that Jerry Seinfeld will be our 2024 commencement speaker. Jerry is a pioneering entertainer and producer and a gifted observer of human nature who has an extraordinary ability to bring people together through humor. I look forward to the insights and wisdom he will share during our celebration of the Class of 2024. Duke University President Vincent E. Price

Seinfeld was unveiled as speaker in the video above, shown during Saturday’s men’s basketball game. Seinfeld and his wife, Jessica, are the parents of a Duke alumna and a current Duke student, and serve as national chairs of Duke’s Parents Committee. In 2001, Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld founded the Good+Foundation, a charitable organization focused on addressing family poverty.

Jerry Seinfeld

Duke will award five honorary degrees at commencement this year. Duke has awarded honorary degrees throughout its history in recognition of extraordinary accomplishment and dedication to improving society. A complete list of past recipients is available on the honorary degree website .

“Each of our honorary degree recipients has had a profound influence on society,” said Price. “Through their many noteworthy achievements, they have demonstrated the power of the arts, business, and civic engagement to bring about positive change and advance humankind, and I’m confident their examples will serve as powerful inspiration for our graduates.”

Seinfeld will receive an honorary Doctor of Arts degree. Read more about the additional 2024 honorary degree recipients below.

Claudius “C.B.” Claiborne B.S.E.’69, Doctor of Humane Letters

Duke University’s first Black student-athlete used the challenges he faced on the basketball court and in the classroom to inform his work as a distinguished scholar and teacher of teamwork and leadership.

The Danville, Va., native arrived at Duke on a presidential scholarship in 1965, just two years after the first Black undergraduate students enrolled. After a year on the freshman basketball team, he played the following three seasons on the men’s varsity team. Claiborne also joined the Black Student Alliance and took part in the pivotal 1969 Allen Building sit-in.

Claiborne graduated from Duke in 1969 with a BSE degree in engineering and later earned advanced degrees from Dartmouth College, Washington University and Virginia Polytechnic University. He is currently Professor of Business and Marketing in the Jesse H. Jones School of Business at Texas Southern University, has published widely and has received numerous awards for his research and teaching on leadership, including the Apple Distinguished Educator, Fulbright Scholarship and Coors Eminent Scholar.

Since graduating from Duke, Claiborne has returned several times to discuss issues of race, athletics and campus culture, taking part in a panel sponsored by the faculty-led initiative, “ Black in Blue: The Duke Sports & Race Project .” Students in a Bass Connections project are currently making a documentary exploring the history of race and sports at Duke through the lens of Claiborne’s story.

Claudius “C.B.” Claiborne

Watch: Duke basketball pays tribute to C.B. Claiborne

Read: Claiborne’s Journey Helped Transform Duke Basketball (GoDuke)

Rhiannon Giddens, Doctor of Arts

Every song by Rhiannon Giddens gives voice to a powerful musical history and culture that is now bursting into greater public consciousness. The Greensboro native, MacArthur Fellow and winner of two Grammy Awards can currently be heard playing the banjo on Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em,” which made history as the first song by a Black woman to top Billboard’s Country Music Song chart. The song and its critical acclaim are shining a new light on a longtime priority for Giddens – lifting up a more accurate understanding of the origins of American music.

A co-founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Giddens studied with the legendary string band elder Joe Thompson. Like Thompson, the group played blues, jug-band numbers and other Americana styles, influencing many Black musicians to take up the fiddle, banjo and other traditional instruments.

An alumna of the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics, and a 2000 graduate of Oberlin Conservatory at Oberlin College, where she studied opera, Giddens also co-wrote the recent opera “Omar,” which won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in music . It is based on the autobiography of Omar ibn Said, a 19th century West African Muslim scholar enslaved and brought to North Carolina.

Giddens first came to campus in 2007 with the Carolina Chocolate Drops for a Duke Performances concert. She has returned several times, most recently last year for a conversation with music professor Anthony Kelley about her music and her career.

Watch: Rhiannon Giddens: NPR Tiny Desk Concert

Rhiannon Giddens

Rose Marcario, Doctor of Humane Letters 

As CEO and Board Member of Patagonia, Inc., Rose Marcario showed that profits can be congruent with strong environmental practices and activism and was an example of how business leaders can take effective stands on social issues.

Marcario joined the company in 2008 as chief financial officer and chief operating officer after a career in finance and operations. In the next 12 years, Patagonia’s profits quadrupled and its sales surpassed a billion. At the same time, the company became a corporate leader in responsible business and environmental and workplace innovation. Promoted to CEO in 2013, Marcario’s achievements include launching a digital platform connecting customers with environmental causes, creating a regenerative organic food company and industry-wide certification, creating a venture fund focused on sustainable product developments and supply chain transformation, using her voice to influence society and governments and advocating for a healthy planet, democracy, and working families. 

Her concern with supply chain issues was more than a financial issue; in a public interview at Duke’s  Fuqua School of Business in 2016 , Marcario said her efforts were part of an intentional effort to strengthen the company by addressing climate change through developing sustainable business practices.

“We're not living in a world anymore where you can just keep making new stuff and using it up,” she said. “I think the companies that can get ahead of that and start creating those (sustainable) supply chains and creating that infrastructure will be ahead of the curve.”

Rose Marcario

Marcario is also a supporter of workplace child care. Under her leadership, 100 percent of working mothers returned to work at Patagonia after giving birth, allowing many to rise in company leadership.  She is also the founder of Time to Vote, an initiative to allow employees time off to vote. She stepped down from the company in 2020.

Watch:  Rose Marcario addresses business activism addressing climate change at the 2018 Expo West.

Desmond Meade, Doctor of Laws 

In October 2020, at age 53, Desmond Meade cast his first-ever ballot in a presidential election. That vote came after a remarkable victory not just for him but for tens of thousands of formerly incarcerated people in Florida whose past felony convictions had barred them from voting under state law.

Meade was homeless and squatting in a home in 2001 when police arrested him for possession of a firearm in the house that didn’t belong to him. In prison, he studied law books, appealed his conviction and was released after three years.

After his release, Meade started to rebuild his life while living in a shelter. He graduated summa cum laude from Miami Dade Community College and earned his J.D. at Florida International University College of Law. While working toward his degrees, he joined the grassroots organization Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC). In 2009 he became the coalition’s executive director.

Under his leadership, FRRC successfully campaigned in 2018 to pass a state constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to returning citizens with a felony conviction. When state leaders enacted financial obstacles that threatened to prolong disenfranchisement for 700,000 people, Meade led a fund-raising campaign to pay off court debts for the affected individuals and encouraged other returning citizens to become civically engaged. FRRC estimated its effort allowed over 100,000 people with past felony convictions to vote in the 2020 election.

Desmond Meade

A MacArthur Fellow, a Ford Global Fellow, and recognized by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, Meade has become a powerful advocate for civic participation: “I believe that everybody deserves a second chance at redemption, and democracy is stronger when it fully represents everyone,” Meade said. This is why under his leadership, Desmond’s organization, FRRC, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023.

At Duke’s commencement in 2021, speaker John Legend told Meade’s story. Legend received an honorary degree from Duke that day. Three years later, it will be Meade’s turn to be honored. 

Watch: Desmond Meade discusses his activism in a video for the MacArthur Fellowship

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Comparative literature ma essay presentations.

Wednesday, May 15, 2024 Dartmouth Hall 104  

3:30 pm Introduction: Michael Wyatt Moderator: Miranda Ochoa Natera

3:35 pm Phoenix Guqing Wang Troubling Waters: Anthropocene Marine Gothic in 19 th -Century Anglo-American Fiction

3:55 pm Lethokuhle T. Msimang Me and Ms Jones - The Androgyny of Black Women 

4:15 pm Q & A

4:25 pm Zihan Zhang Self-Effacement in Christian Mysticism: A Case Study of Teresa of Ávila and Simone Weil

4:45 pm Mikayla Walker Mending Wounds: A Reparative Feminist Analysis of the Japanese Film Series Guinea Pig

5:05 pm Q & A

Monday, May 20, 2024 Dartmouth Hall 104

5:00 pm Introduction: Michael Wyatt Moderator: Wenjun Yang

5: 10 pm Pumho Karimi Questioning Modernity's Episteme: A Comparative Literary Analysis Towards Planetary Spiritualism

5:30 pm Miranda Ochoa Natera Marvelous Ordinariness: Re-engaging with Realism's Social Function

5:50 pm Q & A

6:00 pm Aliza Phillips Star Power: An Analysis of Digital Astrology Content as an Instrument of Political Tractability 

6:20 pm Yilu Ren Transcreation in World of Warcraft's China Localization: Echoes of Poetry across Two Worlds

6:40 pm Q &A

Reception to follow in Dartmouth Hall 101

All COLT MA graduate students, guests, advisors and faculty are invited.

Chair Comparative Literature Program Veronika Fuechtner

Director Graduate Program Ainsley Morse

Workshop in Critical Writing Instructor Michael Wyatt

Special thank you to all the advisors

The Complex Factors Affecting English-Learner Graduation Rates

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The likelihood of an English learner graduating from high school within four years may depend on the student’s race and ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status, according to a new study from New York University and University of Houston researchers.

Federal data from 2019-20 show that while the national English-learner graduation rate has increased to about 71 percent, those students still lag behind the overall rate of 86 percent.

For their study published in the Educational Researcher journal this month, researchers reviewed graduation data of more than 127,900 New York City students who began 9th grade in 2013 and 2014. While students overall who received federally mandated language services—English learners—were about 4 percent less likely to graduate on time, the narrative quickly changed when data for race, gender, and socioeconomic status were broken down.

For instance, girls—who at any point in their K-12 education were identified as English learners—were more likely to graduate than their male counterparts. Black English learners had higher graduation rates than Black peers who never had specialized language services. Asian and Pacific Islander English learners graduated at higher rates than all Latino and Black peers, while Latino English learners were the group least likely to graduate out of all . Median household incomes of where English learners lived also influenced graduation outcomes.

“What our work suggests is that we have to think about the intersectional identities that students hold,” said Michael Kieffer, an associate professor of literacy education at the NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and a co-author of the report.

What happens when you disaggregate English-learner data

While qualitative research in the past has looked into what happens when you disaggregate English-learner data, the new study was intended to identify any trends across a large data set, Kieffer said.

Another motivation for the study stemmed from the field of raciolinguistics, where racialized students are perceived differently because of their multilingualism, based on how their race and ethnicity are viewed. For instance, multilingual white students may have their linguistic assets praised more than multilingual Black and Latino students, said Ben Le, a co-author of the study and a doctoral student at NYU Steinhardt.

This intersectional lens was crucial to the study.

For instance, for the cohort of students identified as English learners, no distinction was made between those who were reclassified out of English-learner status in their elementary years and those who received language services for a longer period of time. Yet, disparities among race, gender, and socioeconomic status lines remained, Le said.

For instance, all English learners in low-income neighborhoods, where the median household income was below $40,000, were equally likely to graduate compared with their non-English-learner peers in similar neighborhoods. But in middle- and high-income neighborhoods, English learners in general were less likely to graduate than non-English learners in similar neighborhoods.

It’s why Le recommends that when educators disaggregate their local data on English-learner graduation rates, they should take stock of what resources were available to the students both in and out of school and what perceptions of a student’s assets are at play.

What educators should keep in mind

The study overall not only highlights the value of educators and researchers alike breaking down English-learner data, but it also brings into question how the English-learner label works, said Lucrecia Santibañez, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Education & Information Studies.

When the NYU and University of Houston study pointed out the disparities at play when English learners were in middle- and high-income neighborhoods, Santibañez said the label of English learner might lead to tracking students out of advanced coursework as other national research studies have found.

The label itself is needed to denote who legally qualifies for language-instruction support, yet educators need to be careful not to let deficit mindsets tied to that label get in the way of students accessing high-quality education, she added.

Although the study focuses on New York City data, past research suggests such disparities are not unique to this data set but play out in different contexts, Le said.

“Thinking about this approach in different places, this kind of intersectional approach is still very valuable,” Kieffer added.

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America’s Colleges Are Reaping What They Sowed

Universities spent years saying that activism is not just welcome but encouraged on their campuses. Students took them at their word.

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N ick Wilson, a sophomore at Cornell University, came to Ithaca, New York, to refine his skills as an activist. Attracted by both Cornell’s labor-relations school and the university’s history of campus radicalism, he wrote his application essay about his involvement with a Democratic Socialists of America campaign to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act . When he arrived on campus, he witnessed any number of signs that Cornell shared his commitment to not just activism but also militant protest, taking note of a plaque commemorating the armed occupation of Willard Straight Hall in 1969.

Cornell positively romanticizes that event: The university library has published a “ Willard Straight Hall Occupation Study Guide ,” and the office of the dean of students once co-sponsored a panel on the protest. The school has repeatedly screened a documentary about the occupation, Agents of Change . The school’s official newspaper, published by the university media-relations office, ran a series of articles honoring the 40th anniversary, in 2009, and in 2019, Cornell held a yearlong celebration for the 50th, complete with a commemorative walk, a dedication ceremony, and a public conversation with some of the occupiers. “ Occupation Anniversary Inspires Continued Progress ,” the Cornell Chronicle headline read.

As Wilson has discovered firsthand, however, the school’s hagiographical odes to prior protests have not prevented it from cracking down on pro-Palestine protests in the present. Now that he has been suspended for the very thing he told Cornell he came there to learn how to do—radical political organizing—he is left reflecting on the school’s hypocrisies. That the theme of this school year at Cornell is “Freedom of Expression” adds a layer of grim humor to the affair.

Evan Mandery: University of hypocrisy

University leaders are in a bind. “These protests are really dynamic situations that can change from minute to minute,” Stephen Solomon, who teaches First Amendment law and is the director of NYU’s First Amendment Watch—an organization devoted to free speech—told me. “But the obligation of universities is to make the distinction between speech protected by the First Amendment and speech that is not.” Some of the speech and tactics protesters are employing may not be protected under the First Amendment, while much of it plainly is. The challenge universities are confronting is not just the law but also their own rhetoric. Many universities at the center of the ongoing police crackdowns have long sought to portray themselves as bastions of activism and free thought. Cornell is one of many universities that champion their legacy of student activism when convenient, only to bring the hammer down on present-day activists when it’s not. The same colleges that appeal to students such as Wilson by promoting opportunities for engagement and activism are now suspending them. And they’re calling the cops.

The police activity we are seeing universities level against their own students does not just scuff the carefully cultivated progressive reputations of elite private universities such as Columbia, Emory University, and NYU, or the equally manicured free-speech bona fides of red-state public schools such as Indiana University and the University of Texas at Austin. It also exposes what these universities have become in the 21st century. Administrators have spent much of the recent past recruiting social-justice-minded students and faculty to their campuses under the implicit, and often explicit, promise that activism is not just welcome but encouraged. Now the leaders of those universities are shocked to find that their charges and employees believed them. And rather than try to understand their role in cultivating this morass, the Ivory Tower’s bigwigs have decided to apply their boot heels to the throats of those under their care.

I spoke with 30 students, professors, and administrators from eight schools—a mix of public and private institutions across the United States—to get a sense of the disconnect between these institutions’ marketing of activism and their treatment of protesters. A number of people asked to remain anonymous. Some were untenured faculty or administrators concerned about repercussions from, or for, their institutions. Others were directly involved in organizing protests and were wary of being harassed. Several incoming students I spoke with were worried about being punished by their school before they even arrived. Despite a variety of ideological commitments and often conflicting views on the protests, many of those I interviewed were “shocked but not surprised”—a phrase that came up time and again—by the hypocrisy exhibited by the universities with which they were affiliated. (I reached out to Columbia, NYU, Cornell, and Emory for comment on the disconnect between their championing of past protests and their crackdowns on the current protesters. Representatives from Columbia, Cornell, and Emory pointed me to previous public statements. NYU did not respond.)

The sense that Columbia trades on the legacy of the Vietnam protests that rocked campus in 1968 was widespread among the students I spoke with. Indeed, the university honors its activist past both directly and indirectly, through library archives , an online exhibit , an official “Columbia 1968” X account , no shortage of anniversary articles in Columbia Magazine , and a current course titled simply “Columbia 1968.” The university is sometimes referred to by alumni and aspirants as the “Protest Ivy.” One incoming student told me that he applied to the school in part because of an admissions page that prominently listed community organizers and activists among its “distinguished alumni.”

Joseph Slaughter, an English professor and the executive director of Columbia’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights, talked with his class about the 1968 protests after the recent arrests at the school. He said his students felt that the university had actively marketed its history to them. “Many, many, many of them said they were sold the story of 1968 as part of coming to Columbia,” he told me. “They talked about it as what the university presents to them as the long history and tradition of student activism. They described it as part of the brand.”

This message reaches students before they take their first college class. As pro-Palestine demonstrations began to raise tensions on campus last month, administrators were keen to cast these protests as part of Columbia’s proud culture of student activism. The aforementioned high-school senior who had been impressed by Columbia’s activist alumni attended the university’s admitted-students weekend just days before the April 18 NYPD roundup. During the event, the student said, an admissions official warned attendees that they may experience “disruptions” during their visit, but boasted that these were simply part of the school’s “long and robust history of student protest.”

Remarkably, after more than 100 students were arrested on the order of Columbia President Minouche Shafik—in which she overruled a unanimous vote by the university senate’s executive committee not to bring the NYPD to campus —university administrators were still pushing this message to new students and parents. An email sent on April 19 informed incoming students that “demonstration, political activism, and deep respect for freedom of expression have long been part of the fabric of our campus.” Another email sent on April 20 again promoted Columbia’s tradition of activism, protest, and support of free speech. “This can sometimes create moments of tension,” the email read, “but the rich dialogue and debate that accompany this tradition is central to our educational experience.”

Evelyn Douek and Genevieve Lakier: The hypocrisy underlying the campus-speech controversy

Another student who attended a different event for admitted students, this one on April 21, said that every administrator she heard speak paid lip service to the school’s long history of protest. Her own feelings about the pro-Palestine protests were mixed—she said she believes that a genocide is happening in Gaza and also that some elements of the protest are plainly anti-Semitic—but her feelings about Columbia’s decision to involve the police were unambiguous. “It’s reprehensible but exactly what an Ivy League institution would do in this situation. I don’t know why everyone is shocked,” she said, adding: “It makes me terrified to go there.”

Beth Massey, a veteran activist who participated in the 1968 protests, told me with a laugh, “They might want to tell us they’re progressive, but they’re doing the business of the ruling class.” She was not surprised by the harsh response to the current student encampment or by the fact that it lit the fuse on a nationwide protest movement. Massey had been drawn to the radical reputation of Columbia’s sister school, Barnard College, as an open-minded teenager from the segregated South: “I actually wanted to go to Barnard because they had a history of progressive struggle that had happened going all the way back into the ’40s.” And the barn-burning history that appealed to Massey in the late 1960s has continued to attract contemporary students, albeit with one key difference: Today, that radical history has become part of the way that Barnard and Columbia sell their $60,000-plus annual tuition.

Of course, Columbia is not alone. The same trends have also prevailed at NYU, which likes to crow about its own radical history and promises contemporary students “ a world of activism opportunities .” An article published on the university’s website in March—titled “Make a Difference Through Activism at NYU”—promises students “myriad chances to put your activism into action.” The article points to campus institutions that “provide students with resources and opportunities to spark activism and change both on campus and beyond.” The six years I spent as a graduate student at NYU gave me plenty of reasons to be cynical about the university and taught me to view all of this empty activism prattle as white noise. But even I was astounded to see a video of students and faculty set upon by the NYPD, arrested at the behest of President Linda Mills.

“Across the board, there is a heightened awareness of hypocrisy,” Mohamad Bazzi, a journalism professor at NYU, told me, noting that faculty were acutely conscious of the gap between the institution’s intensive commitment to DEI and the police crackdown. The university has recently made several “cluster hires”—centered on activism-oriented themes such as anti-racism, social justice, and indigeneity—that helped diversify the faculty. Some of those recent hires were among the people who spent a night zip-tied in a jail cell, arrested for the exact kind of activism that had made them attractive to NYU in the first place. And it wasn’t just faculty. The law students I spoke with were especially acerbic. After honing her activism skills at her undergraduate institution—another university that recently saw a violent police response to pro-Palestine protests—one law student said she came to NYU because she was drawn to its progressive reputation and its high percentage of prison-abolitionist faculty. This irony was not lost on her as the police descended on the encampment.

After Columbia students were arrested on April 18, students at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study decided to cancel a planned art festival and instead use the time to make sandwiches as jail support for their detained uptown peers. The school took photos of the students layering cold cuts on bread and posted it to Gallatin’s official Instagram. These posts not only failed to mention that the students were working in support of the pro-Palestine protesters; the caption—“making sandwiches for those in need”—implied that the undergrads might be preparing meals for, say, the homeless.

The contradictions on display at Cornell, Columbia, and NYU are not limited to the state of New York. The police response at Emory, another university that brags about its tradition of student protest, was among the most disturbing I have seen. Faculty members I spoke with at the Atlanta school, including two who had been arrested—the philosophy professor Noëlle McAfee and the English and Indigenous-studies professor Emil’ Keme—recounted harrowing scenes: a student being knocked down, an elderly woman struggling to breathe after tear-gas exposure, a colleague with welts from rubber bullets. These images sharply contrast with the university’s progressive mythmaking, a process that was in place even before 2020’s “summer of racial reckoning” sent universities scrambling to shore up their activist credentials.

In 2018, Emory’s Campus Life office partnered with students and a design studio to begin work on an exhibit celebrating the university’s history of identity-based activism. Then, not long after George Floyd’s murder, the university’s library released a series of blog posts focusing on topics including “Black Student Activism at Emory,” “Protests and Movements,” “Voting Rights and Public Policy,” and “Authors and Artists as Activists.” That same year, the university announced its new Arts and Social Justice Fellows initiative, a program that “brings Atlanta artists into Emory classrooms to help students translate their learning into creative activism in the name of social justice.” In 2021, the university put on an exhibit celebrating its 1969 protests , in which “Black students marched, demonstrated, picketed, and ‘rapped’ on those institutions affecting the lives of workers and students at Emory.” Like Cornell’s and Columbia’s, Emory’s protests seem to age like fine wine: It takes half a century before the institution begins enjoying them.

N early every person I talked with believed that their universities’ responses were driven by donors, alumni, politicians, or some combination thereof. They did not believe that they were grounded in serious or reasonable concerns about the physical safety of students; in fact, most felt strongly that introducing police into the equation had made things far more dangerous for both pro-Palestine protesters and pro-Israel counterprotesters. Jeremi Suri, a historian at UT Austin—who told me he is not politically aligned with the protesters—recalls pleading with both the dean of students and the mounted state troopers to call off the charge. “It was like the Russian army had come onto campus,” Suri mused. “I was out there for 45 minutes to an hour. I’m very sensitive to anti-Semitism. Nothing anti-Semitic was said.” He added: “There was no reason not to let them shout until their voices went out.”

From the May 1930 issue: Hypocrisy–a defense

As one experienced senior administrator at a major research university told me, the conflagration we are witnessing shows how little many university presidents understand either their campus communities or the young people who populate them. “When I saw what Columbia was doing, my immediate thought was: They have not thought about day two ,” he said, laughing. “If you confront an 18-year-old activist, they don’t back down. They double down.” That’s what happened in 1968, and it’s happening again now. Early Tuesday morning, Columbia students occupied Hamilton Hall—the site of the 1968 occupation, which they rechristened Hind’s Hall in honor of a 6-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza—in response to the university’s draconian handling of the protests. They explicitly tied these events to the university’s past, calling out its hypocrisy on Instagram: “This escalation is in line with the historical student movements of 1968 … which Columbia repressed then and celebrates today.” The university, for its part, responded now as it did then: Late on Tuesday, the NYPD swarmed the campus in an overnight raid that led to the arrest of dozens of students.

The students, professors, and administrators I’ve spoken with in recent days have made clear that this hypocrisy has not gone unnoticed and that the crackdown isn’t working, but making things worse. The campus resistance has expanded to include faculty and students who were originally more ambivalent about the protests and, in a number of cases, who support Israel. They are disturbed by what they rightly see as violations of free expression, the erosion of faculty governance, and the overreach of administrators. Above all, they’re fed up with the incandescent hypocrisy of institutions, hoisted with their own progressive petards, as the unstoppable force of years’ worth of self-righteous rhetoric and pseudo-radical posturing meets the immovable object of students who took them at their word.

In another video published by The Cornell Daily Sun , recorded only hours after he was suspended, Nick Wilson explained to a crowd of student protesters what had brought him to the school. “In high school, I discovered my passion, which was community organizing for a better world. I told Cornell University that’s why I wanted to be here,” he said, referencing his college essay. Then he paused for emphasis, looking around as his peers began to cheer. “And those fuckers admitted me.”

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Campus protests over Gaza could affect graduation; Steve Inkseep interviews Blinken

Suzanne Nuyen

Good morning. You're reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.

Today's top stories

Hundreds of students have been arrested across the country as pro-Palestinian protests spread nationwide . It's been one week since police cleared an encampment of demonstrators at Columbia University. The students quickly reestablished their encampment. Since then, schools like UT Austin and the City College of New York have organized similar protests against Israel's war in Gaza.

Georgia State Patrol officers detain a demonstrator on the campus of Emory University during a pro-Palestinian demonstration on Thursday, April 25 in Atlanta. Mike Stewart/AP hide caption

Georgia State Patrol officers detain a demonstrator on the campus of Emory University during a pro-Palestinian demonstration on Thursday, April 25 in Atlanta.

• Columbia officials on Wednesday gave students 48 hours to disperse, or they would consider "alternative options," NPR's Adrian Florido tells Up First . That deadline is now looming. Protesters suspect they will be forcibly removed, as the encampment is taking place at the center of the school's graduation ceremony location. USC has already canceled its main graduation ceremony. Florido says other schools may begin to do the same because student protesters say they aren't going anywhere.
• Eleanor Stein is a college professor who protested in the Vietnam War as a student in 1968. On Morning Edition, s he  compares her past experience with the what's happening at Columbia today.

After hearing arguments yesterday, a majority of the Supreme Court seemed skeptical of granting former President Donald Trump immunity from prosecution for criminal acts. Trump's lawyers argue that the steps he took to stay in power after President Biden won the 2020 election were part of his official duties, thus, he can't be prosecuted for them. Here's everything you need to know about what the court's decision would mean for Trump — and the presidency as a whole.

• NPR's Nina Totenberg analyzes how the conservative Supreme Court justices' experiences could shape their opinion on Trump's immunity.

New York state's top court has overturned the 2020 felony sex crime conviction of former Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. The New York State Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday that Weinstein did not receive a fair trial in part because the trial judge allowed women to testify about allegations that were not part of the case. Weinstein was one of the most high-profile men accused of sexual assault during the #MeToo movement. Though the appeals court ordered a new trial, Weinstein will remain in prison for a separate conviction from a California sexual assault trial. Editor's note: This report includes descriptions of sexual assault.

• The New York trial judge allowed witnesses to testify to prior "bad acts" under the Molineux rule , whose precedent dates back to the 90s, NPR's Anastasia Tsioulcas reports. But legal experts tell her allowing Molineux witnesses leads to a very subjective decision , which makes a conviction easier to challenge. 

From our hosts

This essay was written by Steve Inskeep , Morning Edition and Up First host. Steve and the Morning Edition team have returned to China — and Steve has noticed it's a lot different than when he was last there five years ago. He'll share some of his observations and what he's heard from locals on Morning Edition today and in the coming days.

Delivery rider in Beijing, China, on April 24, 2024. Stefen Chow hide caption

Delivery rider in Beijing, China, on April 24, 2024.

It's been hard for outsiders to get a firsthand view of China in recent years. First, the country sealed itself off from the pandemic; then, many expatriates left China; and now, though pandemic restrictions were long since lifted, journalists and others don't get in quite as often as at some other times. So we've taken a chance to look around while covering diplomatic meetings: this week's visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

One of the ways we've looked at the economy is by talking to delivery drivers, who whiz through the streets on silent motorbikes (all of them electric, by law), delivering meals, groceries, clothes, water cooler tanks and almost anything else. The pay is better than some other jobs — some drivers left their home villages to earn more in the city — though one driver, Liu Shiwei, said business isn't good . As he ate a simple lunch of noodles and beer, he said orders were down, and too many drivers competed for them.

Why are there so many drivers? Liu thinks it's because there's not enough work elsewhere, and he may be right. Last year China's youth unemployment soared so high the government stopped publishing statistics. That's just one sign of the strains on the world's second-largest economy, which has not recovered from the pandemic in the way many of its people wanted.

Steve sits down with Secretary of State Antony Blinken following a meeting between Blinken and China's President Xi Jinping and other top Chinese officials. Listen to Steve's exclusive interview with Blinken here .

Weekend picks

Protagonist Zau, flanked by the Masks of the Moon and Sun he'll use to fight through the enchanting world of Kenzera. Surgent Studios hide caption

Protagonist Zau, flanked by the Masks of the Moon and Sun he'll use to fight through the enchanting world of Kenzera.

Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:

Movies: The trailers for the Zendaya-led Challengers have been steamy. But the Pop Culture Happy Hour hosts say this terrific new film is so much more than a sexy tennis movie.

TV : Netflix's Baby Reindeer is a dark, haunting story of a comedian who is cruelly stalked by a mentally ill woman. NPR's Glen Weldon writes that it's both troubling and troublesome — because it depicts queer sexuality as something that happens to people.

Books : Amy Tan, best known for writing The Joy Luck Club , didn't set out to write a book in 2016. She was depressed with the state of the world and trying to lose herself in nature through bird watching. That experience inspired her latest book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles .

Music: St. Vincent tells NPR that her newest album, All Born Screaming , is an exercise in "tension and release" — with some moments that play as sonic "jump scares."

Theater: The new Broadway play Stereophonic features music from Arcade Fire's Will Butler. It offers a hyper-realistic look at the costs and glories of making art.

Games : Tales of Kenzera: ZAU has everything you love in a video game: sprawling levels, frictionless movement, frantic combat, and a lush soundtrack. Moreover, its story provides a deep lesson on grief and the power we hold in the face of indescribable loss.

Quiz: The results of each week's NPR news quiz can hit you right in the gut. I was called "wholly adequate" for my 9/1 score. How will you do ?

3 things to know before you go

Rick Mangnall remembers the time he was helped after a serious car accident by two Hispanic men in an old white pickup track. Rick Mangnall hide caption

Rick Mangnall remembers the time he was helped after a serious car accident by two Hispanic men in an old white pickup track.

• Rick Mangnall was stranded on the road in 2008 after a serious car accident. He says he'll never forget the gesture of comfort his unsung hero gave him when two men in a white pickup truck stopped to help. 
• More than 280 popular musicians, including Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and Diplo, have signed a letter urging lawmakers to reform the concert ticketing system . 
• A Chicago woman is accusing American Airlines of racial discrimination after a flight attendant allegedly confronted her for using the plane's first-class bathroom.

This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi .