Lavender Graduation Celebration
Students honored at Lavender Graduation.
The Lavender Graduation Celebration is an annual event conducted to celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students and their allies and to acknowledge their achievements and contributions to the university community. All UNMC graduates are invited to be recognized. Family, friends, supporters and members of the university community are invited and welcome to attend.
In 2025, UNMC's Lavender Graduation Celebration will be held on Monday, May 5, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Olsen Atrium of the Wigton Heritage Center on UNMC's Omaha campus. Refreshments will be served.
The Lavender Graduation Celebration is organized by UNMC Outreach Access and Resources. Please email Catherine Medici-Thiemann with questions.
The Origin of Lavender Graduation
Lavender Graduations began as cultural celebrations and welcoming places for the LGBTQ+ university community, as well as acknowledgment of the struggles that many LGBTQ+ students face and celebrations of their achievement. The first Lavender Graduations were in the 1990s, when many LGBTQ+ graduates could not participate in graduation activities openly with their families, partners and community. Today, Lavender Graduations are celebrated at hundreds of college and university campuses across the U.S. including other University of Nebraska campuses.