On Friday Elle finished her last college final online, and became our first college graduate.

WooHoo!

She has some pretty proud parents:

And also a pretty proud husband:

There was no pomp and circumstance to mark that huge milestone. No big crowds, no special inspirational speaker in front of a stadium of graduates, no one to read names off in front of a cheering crowd. No layers and layers of leis piled around her neck like they do so beautifully over on her island.

And yes, that is sad. So much knowledge gained, so many projects and late nights and hard work put into that degree. So much to celebrate.

But you know what? I think this smile says it all:

A job well done. A degree in graphic design. And scholarships that helped her along the way to boot.

So what did we do to celebrate?

Graduation was supposed to be on Saturday so we had a pool party (and you can’t see it very well, but we made her wear a graduation cap):

Had her mirror screen her computer (or whatever you call it) and show us all the projects she has been working on for college (she was supposed to have a big display “show” in Hawaii on Friday with her printed magazine, etc.).

Everyone was so attentive and mesmerized, and my heart filled right up with the love that girl has for art history: my FAVORITE. And we got to bask in a little teeny portion of some of the cool stuff she has done. (You can check out some of her stuff she’s done but you have to click this link on a computer, not a phone because it needs to still be tweaked for phone use…it is HERE.)

Found one of the old grad cap and gowns we have stored in a closet as well as a lei to make it Hawaiian:

And celebrated this girl of ours:

Oh wait, Carson wasn’t the only excited one:

There we go 🙂

So proud of this girl, and all the blood and sweat and tears that went into being a college graduate!

Go Wells! Love you!

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17 Comments

  1. Congratulations to Elle on such a great accomplishment! So exciting! What a supportive and happy family. Love it!

  2. I always get excited about graduates in Graphic Design. I studied Graphic Design at BYU in Provo years ago, but finished my BA in Art History from University of Washington. I work now using both for book promotion. Since Graphic Design is such a fast-changing field, it is sometimes hard to keep up with, but it’s so interesting to see how it changes and develops with technology. So much has changed since I graduated in the 90s! It’s a lifetime of learning and experimentation. Elle obviously has the artistic knack from you, Shawni. What a beautiful portfolio. Congratulations!

  3. I checked out the website and it is gorgeous. What a talented young lady. I thought she’d want to know I noticed a little typo on the Art We Love page in the description. (Feel free to delete this comment).

  4. Congratulations to Elle. I work for a university here in Michigan and what our school is doing is holding the “May” commencement ceremony in August, so those who would still like to be recognized will have that opportunity. It’s such an accomplishment and every graduate deserves some recognition for all of their hard work!

  5. Congratulations Elle!! Our youngest son has a degree in graphic design. And he works in an agency in Phoenix. So excited for you! Best month ever!

    1. Are you talking about Claire and Abby’s? Claire’s is from Old Navy, not sure on Abby’s but I can ask her.

  6. I LOVE this post! Elle looks spectacular in a graduation cap and gown (as she does in everything else. Ha) That girl was made for design. Love the glimpse of Glimpse and and especially her graphically designed name! Cool! Love that girl!

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