WKU students design graduation flowers

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.-There’s lots of preparation done to pull off graduation without a hitch.

And some of the WKU students themselves have the opportunity to be involved in the process.

“They feel a little sense of honor to be a part of a tradition that has gone on for more than 100 years at WKU,” said WKU Director of the Floral Design & Training Center Roger Dennis.

WKU agriculture students spend weeks leading up to graduation designing the floral arrangement that the thousands of people attending the ceremony get to see.

“Basically what we’re looking at is a kind of a waterfall design so it’s gonna go across the whole front of the stage and the greenery and the flowers cascade over like a waterfall,” said Dennis.

The flowers encompass the theme of big red with red roses and smaller white flowers.

For one student, helping with this ceremony is even more special.

“I feel privileged, I feel privileged to do this a second time around, maybe it’ll be better the second time around,” said WKU student Madeline Taylor.

Taylor was supposed to walk in December and helped design the floral arrangement for that ceremony. But it was canceled due to the devastating December 11 tornadoes.

Dennis asked her to come back and take part again in this ceremony…she was overjoyed at the request.

“Mr. Dennis actually texted me and asked if I wanted to come back and of course I would say yes I would love to be on campus, love being associated with it in any way possible so I was very happy when I saw that message,” said Taylor.

Between the tornados and the pandemic, this will be the first graduation without restrictions in three years.

“For all of these seniors to start here before covid, then go through covid, and then back to normal again for their last semester i think it’s just kind of a nice ending,” said WKU student Emma Proffitt.

Happy graduation to all of our 2022 graduates.