Commencement at New Orleans

March 3-4

Commencement Weekend in New Orleans

FAQs

Alumni Celebration听
Friday, March 3

Champions Square
Lasalle St, South Entrance
New Orleans, LA 70112
6:00-9:00 pm CST

听

Commencement
Saturday, March 4

New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center听
900 Convention Center Blvd.听
New Orleans, LA 70130听

Master's Ceremony Check-in Time: 8:30 am
Master's Ceremony Time: 9:30 am

Bachelor's Ceremony Check-in Time: 12:30 pm
Bachelor's Ceremony Time: 1:30 pm

Venue Parking Fee: $20

Watch the livestream here!

Master's Ceremony
10:30 am EST / 9:30 am CST / 8:30 am MST / 7:30 am PST

Bachelor's Ceremony
2:30 pm EST / 1:30 pm CST / 12:30 pm MST / 11:30 am PST

RSVP Information

To RSVP, you must have either your Graduation Application submitted to the Student Records department or be enrolled in and only have your final course remaining, such as capstone, final certification, or student teaching.听If you don鈥檛 currently meet this requirement, wait to RSVP until the requirement is met.

Students who are enrolled in their final course may submit an email to听commencement@wgu.edu听with 鈥淔inal Course鈥� in subject line along with desired commencement ceremony.

For more information, review the听.

If you have any questions, please contact us at听commencement@wgu.edu听or by phone 385.428.2085.

Attention iOS users (iPhone/iPad): please use Chrome or Firefox browser to submit your ceremony RSVP form. If you use Safari (default iOS browser) to complete your RSVP form, you will receive a false application rejection message. If uncertain, please complete the ceremony RSVP form on a computer rather than your iOS device.

New Orleans Commencement Deadlines:

RSVP
Deadline: CLOSED
Graduate Speaker Application听
Deadline: CLOSED
Anthem Singer Audition
Deadline: CLOSED
Cap & Gown Ordering听
Deadline: CLOSED

New Orleans Commencement Details:

Master's and Bachelor's Ceremony Program

Parking & Bag Policies

Information coming soon!听

Hotel Discounts

Information Coming Soon!

Alumni Celebration in New Orleans

Friday, March 3

听

Location and Times coming soon!

Keynote Speaker

Information Coming Soon!

Bachelor's Ceremony Graduate Speakers

Information Coming Soon!

Master's Ceremony Graduate Speakers

Information Coming Soon!

National Anthem Singers

Information Coming Soon!

Alumni Celebration in New Orleans

Friday, March 3, 6-9 pm, CST

Kick off your commencement weekend with this exclusive alumni celebration in honor of our graduates!

All graduates and families who are attending the 2023 黑料传送门 Commencement in New Orleans are invited to听join us for the Alumni Celebration at Champions Square and Club XLIV.

This family-friendly event is free to attend and will provide grads and their guests opportunities to connect, enjoy food trucks, take photos, play games, see a live owl, enjoy a brass band, and dance the night away!听We encourage graduates and guests to dress in business casual attire. Come for the celebration, stay for the fun:

Take in some local flare and be entertained by a live brass band from 6-7pm!
Take photos in our social photo booth and share using #黑料传送门grad and #黑料传送门SageCoach.
Meet Sage the Night Owl!
Visit our affiliated partnership booths to receive career advice, purchase 黑料传送门 swag, refer a friend, pick up your 黑料传送门 Philanthropy Cord, and more.
Hit the dance floor or play family-friendly games with a fun 黑料传送门 twist!
Enjoy selections from a variety of food trucks and self pay bars.听
Check out the Krewe of Muses Mardi Gras Shoe Wall inside Club XLIV to snap a photo with the specially made 黑料传送门 shoe!
Participate in our passport activity for a chance to win a gift code to the 黑料传送门 Online Store.

Contact Information

黑料传送门 Alumni Celebration contact:听alumni@wgu.edu

黑料传送门 Alumni Celebration ADA and accessibility:听alumni@wgu.edu

黑料传送门 Commencement questions:听commencement@wgu.edu

Parking Information

It is recommended to park at Champions Square Garage and enter the event through the south side of La Salle street. Parking is generally $20, but could be subject to change depending on other local events or parking needs.

Date:听March 3, 2023

Time:听6-9 pm, CT

Location:
Champions Square
Lasalle St, South Entrance
New Orleans, LA 70112

Keynote Speaker

Kevin Carroll
Author and Change Agent

Kevin Carroll is the founder of Kevin Carroll Katalyst/LLC and the author of three highly successful books: Rules of the Red Rubber Ball, What's Your Red Rubber Ball?!, The Red Rubber Ball at Work and A Kids Book About BELONGING. As an author, speaker, and agent for social change, it is Carroll's "job" to inspire businesses, organizations, and individuals鈥攆rom CEOs and employees of Fortune 500 companies to schoolchildren to maximize their human potential.

With his consulting endeavors, Kevin has helped turn creative ideas into reality for organizations such as the Starbucks, Nike, Walt Disney Company, NHL, NBA, ESPN, Procter & Gamble, Capital One, and many others.

Raised by his grandparents in Philadelphia, Carroll spent endless hours at the neighborhood playground where he found his calling: a red rubber ball. His subsequent pursuit of play and his "red rubber ball" took him overseas with the U.S. Air Force, where he served as a language interpreter and translator, gaining fluency in Croatian, Czech, Serbian, and German.

After serving in the Air Force for ten years and earning his college degree, Carroll became an athletic trainer at the high school and collegiate levels in Philadelphia.

His expertise in sport performance recognized by the 76ers organization and led to his job as the head athletic trainer for the Philadelphia 76ers in 1995. While at the 76ers, Nike tapped Carroll to bring his unique experiences to the sneaker听giant in 1997. Although no job "officially" existed at the time, Carroll was directed to create a position at the company that would add value to the overall mission of the brand.

Carroll has dedicated his life to advancing sports and play as a vehicle for social change and success. He partners with non-governmental organizations and businesses around and was honored to address the United Nations as part of the UN Year of Sports for Development and Peace in 2005. In 2013, Kevin was named by SUCCESS magazine as one of 19 鈥淪EERS 鈥� changing the world!鈥�

Carroll holds a M.S. degree in Health Education from St. Joseph's University, a B.A. in Speech Communication with a minor in Physical Education from Angelo State University and an Associates Degree in Interpreting and Translating from the Community College of the Air Force.

Bachelor's Ceremony Graduate Speakers

Damir-Abdualla Kadeen Baahir Harrod-DAR'ROH

Damir-Abdualla, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, earned his Bachelor's of Science degree in Business Administration, Information Technology in 2022. At 22 years old, Damir-Abdualla is an entrepreneur, creative director, and content curator enveloped in the path of design, fashion, media and most importantly faith. Damir-Abdualla is CEO and creator of AHKIDA MI DAR'ROH, a faith based standing for Family Creedence since 2019.听听

Courtney Moore

Courtney Moore is the Director of Development at Carson Valley Medical Center (CVMC) in Gardnerville, Nevada, where she manages fund development activities at the medical center听and directs the CVMC Hospital Foundation.鈥�

She completed a bachelor鈥檚 degree in business management from 黑料传送门 in 2023 and is currently pursuing an MBA from 黑料传送门.

Courtney truly enjoys philanthropy work, especially working with non-profit organizations. She is an active member in her community and serves as a board member of Tahoe Youth & Family Services in Gardnerville, Nevada, and South Lake Tahoe, California, the Co-Founder of Project Prom of Northern Nevada, and a 2021 graduate of Leadership Douglas County through the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce.

She has been married to her husband, Richard Moore, for 15 years and they have two children, Travis and Riley. In her free time, she enjoys outdoors activities including hiking, snowshoeing, and kayaking.

Master's Ceremony Graduate Speakers

Bianca Cooper

Bianca Cooper has a deep passion for the healthcare industry and currently serves as the Senior Director of Onboarding & Recruiting at NurseDash.听

She is renowned for revamping departments, breaking company records, and creating a culture of inclusiveness.听

Recently, Bianca took over a failing Diabetic Retinopathy Screening program for a large organization, where odds of gradeability on a mobile health clinic were suggested to be 50% at best, and she transformed gradeability to 95% across the country, beating nationwide hospital records.

Bianca also wrote a children鈥檚 book,听The Map My Moms Gave Me,听that made Yahoo! News as one of the best children鈥檚 books in 2021.听听

She earned her master鈥檚 in management and leadership from 黑料传送门 in 2023 with plans to pursue her Doctorate of Education from Louisiana State University.

Lyndie Eubanks

Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee,听Lyndie Eubanks grew up with three听older brothers, an older sister, and a younger sister, where she learned the value of hard work, perseverance, and determination.

听

Like many 黑料传送门 students, Lyndie experienced the ups and downs of life during听her educational journey and would need to draw on those early experiences.听While pursuing her bachelor鈥檚 degree from The University of Memphis, her husband passed away, leaving her as the sole provider for their son. Balancing work, family, with her studies, Lyndie persevered and completed her degree. Years later she would earn her MBA from 黑料传送门, which she credits helped strengthen her career in an ever-changing work landscape.

Lyndie is a Change Management Consultant with International Paper where she has spent the past decade leading projects within business and HR sectors. She is active on various boards and remains busy inspiring and lifting others. 听

Of all of her accomplishments, she remains most proud of instilling the value of hard work and education to her son, who is completing a bachelor鈥檚 degree in commercial aviation while he serves in the Tennessee Army National Guard.

Lyndie enjoys reading, teaching herself piano, completing various crafts, volunteering for her church, spending time with her friends and family, and going to the beach. She resides in Collierville, Tennessee,听with her husband Jeff, and her son, Connor, and their 4 year-old boxer, Dexter.

National Anthem Singers

Javier Perez

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Javier Perez credits his mom, an immigrant and single parent, as the听鈥渕ost awesome example of hard work and dedication.鈥�

His mom who migrated from Mexico, raised Javier and his sister while fully supporting herself and providing for her family with the hope that her children would enjoy a better life than she had.

听

Javier has been employed in the听medical field for the past 29 years.听He recently completed听黑料传送门's BSN program and is a proud member of 黑料传送门鈥檚 National Society of Leadership and Success chapter. He recently joined the world-renowned M D Anderson Hospital as an RN with a determination to impact 鈥� and save 鈥� countless lives of those battling cancer.听听

Amber Swanigan

Teacher, fitness instructor, wife, and mom, are many听titles to听describe Amber Swanigan. Amber is no stranger to the spotlight as she used to moonlight as a singer and actor in听her free time.听

Amber has sung the National Anthem for听various events, including听college sports, major league baseball,听and WNBA听basketball games.听Currently she is busy being a mom to her two young daughters and is very active in the fitness industry and in her church.听 Amber recently completed her听master鈥檚 in curriculum and instruction at 黑料传送门 and is excited for the opportunities in her future.

Distinguish Yourself

Ready to take another step toward your next goal, or thinking about the dreams shared by your friends, family, and co-workers who have supported you along your journey?听 We invite you to take this next step (and share it with them so they might consider it, too).

Returning graduates and new students who want to further their education are eligible to apply to 黑料传送门 and to apply for the $5,000 Distinguished Alumni Scholarship. Successful applicants must exemplify high academics, proven leadership qualities, and a drive to succeed.

Apply to the Distinguished Alumni Scholarship

Frequently Asked Questions

Ceremony FAQs

A commencement guidebook will be loaded onto the and emailed to each graduate with check-in details, parking, maps, and much more.听

Graduates are recommended to bring up to 8 guests, but tickets are not required to enter the commencement ceremony. Please feel free to bring your extra guests. Graduates do not need to update their initial guest count with the Commencement Office. 听

Tickets are not required for 黑料传送门 commencement weekend events. 听

Only the names of graduates who physically attend an in-person commencement or submit a video to a virtual commencement will have their names read.

Policies vary by location and venue. Please consult the听commencement app for further details three weeks prior to the ceremony date. 听

Please arrive dressed in your cap and gown for the commencement ceremony. Due to the number of graduates and schedule, it is not practical to change into regalia at the venue.

You can watch the commencement ceremony at the at any point after the start of the ceremony.

The commencement photos are usually available 2-3 weeks after commencement. Those photos will be available for viewing at听

Did you know that 黑料传送门 Alumni have access to hundreds of discounts? Log in to听听to search for deals on flights, hotels, car rentals, and more.

Ceremony Participation & RSVP听FAQs

There is not a time limit on when a graduate may walk in a commencement. Graduates may only participate in one commencement ceremony per degree program completed.

Tickets are not required for commencement weekend events.听听

Generally, the commencement ceremony lasts 2 hours.

Yes, it is possible for a commencement ceremony to reach capacity. We suggest that you submit an RSVP to your desired ceremony as soon as you are eligible.

Please review the located in the student handbook, which outlines the eligibility for commencements.

Graduates who wish to participate in an in-person or virtual commencement ceremony must complete two steps.听

Submit either your Graduation Application or be enrolled in and only have your final course remaining, such as capstone, final certification, or student teaching.听听

Submit an RSVP via the commencement web site (available at wgu.edu/commencement).听听

To RSVP, you must have either your Graduation Application submitted to the Student Records department or be enrolled in your final course, such as capstone, final certification, or student teaching. If you don鈥檛 currently meet this requirement, wait to RSVP until the requirement is met.听

Students who are enrolled in their final course may submit an email to commencement@wgu.edu with "Final Course" in subject line along with desired commencement ceremony.

No, the graduation application process is separate from commencement. If the Commencement Office has granted a final course exemption, you do not have to have your graduation application submitted to walk at commencement.听

Yes, the鈥痗eremony RSVP form鈥痠s a separate process from the graduation application. The completion of the ceremony RSVP form reserves your seat at commencement and generates your name card for the announcer.鈥�

After a graduate submits the ceremony RSVP form, a confirmation email is sent to the email address listed on the completed RSVP form. Please check your junk inbox. If you do not see a confirmation email for your ceremony RSVP. Please contact us at commencement@wgu.edu with additional questions.

No. Once registration has closed, no late additions, including day of (walk-up) will be permitted.

Graduates may walk in one commencement ceremony per degree. As of January 2022, a graduate may participate in one ceremony per degree, either a virtual or in-person ceremony.

Photos from each commencement ceremony will be available for purchase through our photography partner The Grad Team in the week following each commencement. All photos can be viewed on their website .

Regalia听FAQs

鈥痠s the official regalia vendor (caps, gowns, and hoods) for 黑料传送门. You can place your order via the website or call 1-800-456-7623 and ask for the Web Department. The official regalia color for graduates is navy.鈥� For visual reference, please see our鈥€痑nd our鈥�.鈥�

For bachelor鈥檚 degree, post-baccalaureate teacher programs, or endorsement preparation program (English Language Learning), you should鈥痮rder a鈥痗ap, bachelor's gown, and tassel. For鈥痶hose earning a master's degree or endorsement preparation program (Educational Leadership), you should鈥痮rder a鈥痗ap, master's gown, tassel, and a master's hood.

The following master鈥檚 hoods are available for purchase at the :

Education - blue听
Business (all MBAs) - drab听
Information Technology - gold听
Nursing 鈥� apricot听
Integrated Healthcare Management - salmon听
Master of Health Leadership - sage green

You can order a tassel at the , or by calling 1-800-456-7623 and ask for the Web Department.

Yes, 黑料传送门 graduates affiliated with an honor society may wear society pins or honor cords/sashes on their gowns. Teacher graduates affiliated with the 黑料传送门 chapter of the international honor society of Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) may order honor cords at .听听听听

Prior to the conferral of degrees, bachelor's degree graduates wear the tassel on the right while master's degree graduates wear their tassel on the left for the entire commencement ceremony.

A graduate should wear academic attire appropriate to the awarded degree. The master's gown differs from a bachelor's gown. If you already have a cap and tassel, you can order a master's gown as an individual item on the . Please note that the academic attire for a master's graduate includes a cap, tassel, master's gown, and hood.

黑料传送门 graduates who are veterans or active-duty military will be provided with a military honor cord. For virtual commencements, cords will be shipped to the address provided on their RSVP. For in-person commencements, cords will be picked up at graduate check-in. On your RSVP form, please mark that you are a veteran or on active duty.

Graduates are permitted to decorate their caps and wear sashes with their regalia. Take into consideration the following if decorating your cap or wearing a sash for commencement:听

黑料传送门 does not allow content on caps or sashes that is considered, in 黑料传送门鈥檚 sole discretion, obscene, vulgar, defamatory, hateful, inappropriate, profane or that might disregard another鈥檚 copyright or third-party rights. All decorations must lie flat on the cap.听

Philanthropy Cords FAQs

The Philanthropy Cord is a blue and gold cord that 黑料传送门 graduates often wear with their cap and gown at commencement. The Philanthropy cord is not only a symbol of their commitment to 黑料传送门, but also an opportunity for them to 鈥減ay it forward鈥� and help current and future 黑料传送门 students.

Graduates can receive a Philanthropy Cord by making a gift of $25 or more to 黑料传送门鈥檚 Fellow Night Owl Scholarship, a fund established to help current 黑料传送门 students facing financial hardship cross the finish line to graduation. To donate, graduates can text 鈥満诹洗兔臗ord鈥� to 41-444 or .

All proceeds from the Philanthropy Cord sales support our Fellow Night Owl Scholarship Fund, which helps current students experiencing financial hardships with need-based scholarships. Your donation is put to immediate use and provides help when it is needed the most. To learn more, .

For in-person commencements: If a donation is made more than four weeks prior to commencement weekend, the Philanthropy Cord will be mailed to the graduate. The cord may also be picked up by visiting the 黑料传送门 Advancement table at the Alumni Celebration or during graduate check-in before commencement.

For virtual commencements: Philanthropy Cords will be mailed to the graduate prior to the ceremony date.

黑料传送门 Advancement, founded in 2018, is the official fundraising arm of Western Governors University (黑料传送门). We are committed to supporting our students, faculty, and staff through our fundraising program to advance the mission of 黑料传送门. Your gifts help us to attract and retain talented students, provide student scholarships, and help our students 鈥渃ross the finish line鈥� to graduation!

No problem. You can donate to the Fellow Night Owl Scholarship Fund by or texting 鈥満诹洗兔臛rad鈥� to 41-444. Every gift, big or small, makes a difference. Thank you in advance for your support.

Letter of Invitation for Abroad & Commencement Announcements FAQs

Yes, students may send an email to records@wgu.edu with the family member's full name, relationship to the student, and foreign address. Once provided, the Records Department will prepare documents containing information about the commencement and student's earned degree. These prepared letters will then be sent to the student to forward them to the correct parties. It may take 5-10 business days for the letters to be mailed to the student.