It’s Grad Time!

June 7th, 2016

It’s that time again – graduation the moment of intense pride we feel when our children, or grandchildren, after years of hard work, and maybe hard play, graduate from university. Now many of them will be looking to start the next stage of their lives and enter the workforce. Others may be planning to spend some time volunteering and others travelling before they get a job.

Whatever their plans, if you are attending their graduation ceremony it’s a time of celebration, a time for family to gather and reward hard work and effort; it’s also a time for a little fun.

If your child is graduating from UVic in Victoria, or perhaps Thompson River University (TRU) in Kamloops, you might want to check out the Accent Inns hotel in both those cities. The Accent Inns team has been welcoming families and friends visiting to attend grad ceremonies for as long as they’ve been open.

Here are a few things that you might want to consider packing for the special day.

• A camera or a video camera – better still both! Oh, and make sure it’s charged, or you have spare batteries. One tip: don’t just take formal shots of the new grad take some goofy ones to, after all it is supposed to be a happy day.
• Tissues – hey it’s going to be emotional! Whether it’s the thought of how much they’ve achieved, or just the fact they are closer to independence and maybe, just maybe, less dependent on your pocket book, you’ll probably shed a few tears.
• Pack your best duds, or even buy new – as if you need an excuse! Grad days are dress-up days – it’s a special day so feel special.
• A gift – when my son graduated we gave him business cards which featured the URL of his new website. We had a complete website designed for him and hosting prepaid for as long as he needed it. This meant he was immediately ready to market himself to employers. Of course there are many other perfect gifts for the newly graduated; an engraved pen, or ring, or perhaps a beautiful stylish leather briefcase.
• Water – some of these ceremonies can be loooong – so don’t forget your water bottle.

One last thing – when you get back to your Accent Inns hotel, remember they all have great Wi-Fi – a perfect way to update Facebook and show your child’s graduation pics to the whole family.

Mike Wicks
Blue Beetle Creative