It’s that time of year again: graduation season. Whether it’s a high school or college graduation, gifts can be hard to pick out for the special graduate. While most graduates receive money and flowers as gifts, it’s important to give a gift with meaning. Senior Jon Berndt said he would gladly accept money as a gift to help him pay off his student debt. Money may be a smart idea to give since over 44.2 Americans have student debt.
Finance major Katherine Kowalski said she would be happy with gift cards to her favorite stores. No matter what the graduation is, gifts are hard to pick out. Briana Dercole, graduating from dental assistant school in Crystal Lake said she would be happy to receive the corgi puppy she’s always wanted.
While gifts can be pricey, simple homemade gifts are always a go to idea as well. Some DIY gifts include a decorated graduation cap, photo collages, decorated wine or beer glasses and a graduation shadowbox to place memorabilia in. More DIY gift ideas are available on Pinterest. Senior Seth Smith is just looking forward to graduating and receiving his diploma.
Buying the perfect gift varies upon the graduate and their needs and wants.
Gift Ideas
Clothing
With the start of a new chapter and starting a career, most new graduates do not have enough professional business-like clothing, and even if you’re not looking for something professional, any type of clothing is a nice gi .
Personalized memorabilia
Whether it’s a pen or a photo frame, you can have them engraved with the graduate’s name and graduation year, providing a thoughtful look back with everything they’ve accomplished these past four years.
Jewelry
While this applies to most females, necklaces and bracelets can be engraved with special messages or the graduates initials.
Watches
With graduates going into a professional work setting, having a nice, professional-looking watch is a must. And if you aren’t ready for that professional setting, a watch is always something nice to kill time with during the graduation ceremony.
Business cards
Whether collecting business cards or having personalized ones, they’re going to need somewhere to keep them safe, so find yourself a business card holder while you’re at it.
Briefcase
With the start of a new career and traveling, this will surely come in handy to carry the necessities. And if you haven’t found a new job yet, it’s still best to beat that worn out backpack from college.
Words of advice
What better way to make the transition from graduating to the professional world with framed words of advice. A gift like this could be both inspiring and thoughtful.
Coffee
Whether it’s a gift card to Starbucks or a box of coffee pods for your Keurig, now that you’re a full-time employee, you’re going to need coffee just as much as you did during your four years of college.
