GSEHD Commencement

• 7:30 am - Participating faculty will arrive at the Smith Center and meet in Tin Tabernacle Club. (Please use the side entrance of the Smith Center on G Street NW between 22nd and 23rd Streets). Wear your regalia. Faculty processional line-up will begin at 8:00 am.
   
• 7:45 am - Graduates and guests will arrive at the Smith Center (600 22nd St NW). Graduate check-in will be in Funger Hall (2201 G Street NW). Once graduates are checked in, they will be directed to line up for procession. Wear your regalia.
   
• 8:15 am - Graduates will begin to process to the Smith Center.
   
• 8:30 am - GSEHD School Celebration begins. The ceremony is expected to end at approximately 10:30 am.

Stage Location: The stage will be located at the base of the Washington Monument on the northeast corner at the intersection of 15th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. (1401 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC)

View map of National Mall, stage and entrances >

• 9:00 am - Entrances open.
  • Graduates should report to Gate 3 wearing their regalia.
• 8:30-9:30 am - Participating faculty should report to the backstage check-in tent.
• 10:15 am - All graduates and guests must be seated.
• 10:30 am - Ceremony begins.

View Additional GW Commencement on the Mall Details >

StagePass
Students: Be prepared to show the QR code from your StagePass, either on your mobile device or as a printout when you arrive at any commencement event. We recommend that you download or take a screenshot of the StagePass for each event. Be sure to include all of the QR code in your screenshot.

To access your StagePass:

• Log in to the registration system and click “Print Your StagePass.”
  • -or- Click on the link in the email titled, “Your StagePass for [EVENT NAME] is Here” to access the StagePass.
• Please note: Each event has a unique StagePass that may only be used at the event listed above the QR code.

Know What to Expect in Regard to Weather or Case of Emergency >

Review Prohibited Items >

• Please note: In the event of inclement weather, umbrellas are allowed only outside of the guest seating area. We suggest that guests in the seating area bring ponchos or other wearable rain gear instead.
• There is no shade available in the graduate seating area, including no shade in the graduate ADA seating section. Graduates may not use umbrellas as they block the view of other graduates and guests.
• Graduates and guests should bring a reusable water bottle to the ceremony. There are several water stations available at the National Mall Commencement site.

Guest Tickets & Things to Note

• All guests (older than 2 years) must have a ticket for admission. Be prepared to show the QR code on your ticket, either on your mobile device or as a printout, when you arrive. If you did not receive one, please contact your graduate. The ticket must be for Commencement on the National Mall only.
• Please expect longer-than-anticipated lines at the entrance gates.
• Guest seating is available on a general admission basis.
• An ADA seating area is reserved for guests who have limited mobility; they may be accompanied by one guest. Visit the Commencement Accessibility webpage for details on ADA Seating and Drop-Off on the National Mall.
• There is no shade available in any guest seating area, including no shade in the ADA seating section. Guests may not use umbrellas as they block the view of other guests; umbrellas are allowed in the overflow viewing area.
• Please note: The plastic flooring used in all guest seating areas, which is required by the National Park Service, has a reflective surface that makes the seating area very bright and can increase the air temperature by 3 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit. The same flooring can become slippery to walk on if there is rain or condensation remaining from the morning dew. Use caution when walking on the flooring as it may be uneven in areas.

For more information, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions on the Commencement website.
 

Jacqui is a proud graduate of GSEHD’s International Education Program, where she focused on the nexus of Development and Higher Education. During her time at GW Jacqui served as a Lab Leader of the Refugee Educational Advancement Lab (REAL), and the International Education Association (IEA) President. She also worked in various government capacities, served as an associate board member and taught ESL for the Washington English Center, and contributed research to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the Institute of International Education (iie). Last Fall, Jacqui served as the inaugural United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Graduate Fellow at the Geneva Liaison Office (GLO) where she served as a panelist on the United Nations Forum on Minority Issues, pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions, advocating for minority issues and self-representation in spaces of learning. She’d like to share her gratitude with her cohort and the IEP faculty for what has been an incomparable graduate experience.