Lavender Celebration of Graduates

Friday, April 18, 2025

RSVP for the 2025 Celebration

Lavender Celebration of Graduates is a nation-wide event held by colleges and universities in recognition of LGBTQ+ graduates. These exemplary students will be cheered on by family and friends, and each graduate will be honored using their correct name and pronouns. Dr. Ronni Sanlo created this event at the University of Michigan in 1995. The annual celebration was created to recognize LGBTQ+ students and acknowledge their achievements and contributions to the university.

Lavender Celebration has occurred annually at NC State since the formation of the LGBTQ Pride Center in 2008, with the first celebration held in the spring of that year. 2025 marks the 17th Lavender Celebration at NC State.

Lavender Celebration 2025 will take place on Friday, April 18, 2025

Registration will close when we reach maximum capacity or on April 4, whichever comes first. RSVP early in the spring semester to guarantee your spot! See below for RSVP and award nomination forms.

Are you interested in being a part of this year’s festivities?

Who: LGBTQIA2S+ graduates with their friends, families, and supporters across NC State

What: Celebrating the hard work that comes from moving through college as an LGBTQ+ person

When: Friday, April 18, 2025 | 6 – 8:00 p.m.

Where: Talley Student Union’s Piedmont/Mountains Ballroom (3rd Floor)

Know someone who deserves to be recognized for their work with the LGBTQ+ community?

Three awards are given out annually at Lavender Celebration. You are encouraged to nominate yourself or someone else you believe embodies the spirit of each award. You can view the complete rubric for each award here. The deadline to submit a nomination is Monday, March 24.

Stafford Leadership Award

Who: Undergraduate and graduate students
Location: North Carolina State University
What: The Thomas H. Stafford Leadership Award recognizes an undergraduate or graduate student who has demonstrated service to the LGBTQ+ community through peer education, peer mentoring, community building, and/or community outreach or service.

Reiman Social Change Award

Who: Undergraduate and graduate students
Location: North Carolina State University
What: The Evelyn Q. Reiman Social Change Award recognizes an undergraduate or graduate student who has worked to increase awareness, identify strategies for community engagement, connect to peers in social change efforts, and/or foster collaboration across communities in order to address campus or community climate.

Spitz Community Leadership Award

Who: Faculty, staff, and other non-campus affiliated members of the Triangle area.
Location: Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel-Hill and the Surrounding Areas)
What: The Bill Spitz Community Leadership Award recognizes a Triangle community member who has demonstrated service to the LGBTQ+ community through peer education, mentoring, community building, and/or community outreach or service, with an emphasis on broader community impact.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who should fill out the RSVP form?

Everyone who plans to attend Lavender Celebration should fill out an RSVP form, including: graduating students, non-graduating students, friends and family of graduates, volunteers, and all other community members. This helps us make sure our catering order is correct, and it helps us stay within the room capacity for our space.

Can non-graduating students still attend?

Yes! In addition to Winter 2025 Graduates being eligible to graduate with us this year, non-graduating students are welcomed to attend in support of their friends. Non-graduating students should fill out the RSVP form (scroll up on this webpage to find it) and select the appropriate attendee option.

Can non-graduating students be nominated for an award?

Will this year’s Lavender Celebration be live-streamed?

No. In order to best preserve the privacy of our graduating students names and pronouns, the event will only occur in-person. Some Lavender Graduates may not be ‘out’ in all spaces, and live-streaming the celebration puts us at a greater risk for potentially outing students than we feel comfortable with at this time.

We will have an in house photographer taking pictures of our graduates that will be available for free after the event, and graduates are welcome to have a friend record their procession to the stage to receive their degree.

Will my name, pronouns, or other information be published anywhere?

For Graduates: Your first and last name, alongside your major, will be printed on the Lavender Celebration program, which is given to all attendees. Your name, photo, and senior quote will also display on a slideshow during select parts of the event. This information will not be published outside the Lavender Celebration space, however it is not considered confidential. Please contact the Pride Center at pridecenter@ncsu.edu if you are concerned about being outed through your Lavender Celebration participation.

For All Other Attendees: Our guest list is not published anywhere. Your name, pronouns, and other identifying information will not be shared outside the Pride Center Staff planning team, however it is not considered confidential. Please contact the Pride Center at pridecenter@ncsu.edu if you are concerned about being outed through your Lavender Celebration participation.

Photography: All graduates will receive a photo of themselves with their new diploma; this photo is taken one on one with a staff photographer at the event. These photos will not be shared with anyone other than the graduate. Staff photographers may take additional images at the event, but will always ask permission before taking a picture that includes faces or distinct features of an individual. Individual, personal photography is permitted, and we encourage consent, permission, and community care when using a personal camera or recording device that could capture other attendees information.