Four WGS Grads Honored at Lavender Graduation

Photo Credit:
April 27, 2017

Eight undergraduates, five graduate students and one doctoral student participated in the Ninth Annual Lavender Graduation hosted by the LGBTQA+ Resource Center on Thursday, April 20. The ceremony honored graduates as well as individuals whose outstanding contributions have positively impacted the LGBTQA+ community. WGS undergraduate students Cambria Beirow, JD McCown, and Shea O'Brien and WGS graduate specialization student Robert Lipscomb were among those honored.

Keynote speaker Scott Schneider (UNL '14) addressed the importance of self-care upon graduation. Schneider explained that energy, ideas and passion are good, but that trying to change too much too quickly can lead to fatigue and burnout. He recommended that LGBTQA students and graduates find at least one activity that is not directly tied to the LGBTQA community as a means of balancing themselves and restoring energy.

Donde Plowman, Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer, and Juan N. Franco, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, presented certificates to recipients of the Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Contributions to the GLBT Community. The following individuals were recognized:

  • Lauren Segal - Graduate Student Assembly representative, graduate student in Plant Pathology and Fungal Genetics
  • Ignacio Correas - Graduate Student Assembly representative, graduate student in Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
  • Dr. Stacey Waite - Faculty member in the English Department and WGS affiliate

The Chancellor's committee also provided certificates of recognition to JD McCown, Spectrum president, volunteer and program coordinator in the LGBTQA+ Resource Center; and Lawrence Chatters, diversity and inclusion coordinator in Nebraska Athletics.

Graduating students received certificates and commemorative rainbow tassels to recognize their achievements. New this year, the LGBTQA+ Resource Center awarded purple leadership cords to students who exemplified leadership within the center.

Undergraduate Degrees
*Cambria Beirow, B.A. in Psychology and English with LGBTQA/Sexuality Studies minor
*Austin Christensen, B.A. in Advertising and Public Relations, Spanish with a Psychology minor
Michael Jensen, B.S. in Computer Science with a Business Management minor
Michael Johnson, B. A. in Art and Advertising
*JD McCown, B.A. in Psychology and Women Studies with English and LGBTQA/Sexuality Studies minors
Quinn Mobbs, B.A. in Spanish with a Music minor
Shea O'Brien, B.A. in Psychology with LGBTQ/Sexuality Studies and Sociology minors
Tanner Pfeiffer, B.A. in Music and Mathematics with a Spanish minor

Graduate Degrees
*Stephanie Blair, M.A. in Educational Administration with a specialization in Student Affairs
Nate Faust-Shucker, M.A. in Educational Administration with a specialization in Student Affairs
Ashley Hurt, M.A. in Educational Administration with a specialization in Student Affairs
Hortencia Lara, M.A. in Educational Administration with a specialization in Student Affairs
Linh Phu, M.A. in Educational Administration with a specialization in Student Affairs

Doctoral Degrees
Robert Lipscomb, Ph.D. in English

*denotes student was a leadership cord recipient

When students choose to participate in the Lavender Graduation, they can identify an advocate to recognize. Individuals recognized by graduates included Stephanie Blair, Ann Callies, Robert Lipscomb and Pat Tetreault.

Now in its ninth year at Nebraska, Lavender Graduation began in 1995 at the University of Michigan as a program to recognize the challenges of being openly LGBTQA+ or openly connected to the LGBTQA+ community.