Give a Laurel Crown to Wish a Graduate Success / 🇮🇹 Italy

A laurel crown gives friends a way to recognise work that has already been done. The leaves form a circle and make the graduate easy to spot in the photographs. In Italian university settings, the crown can appear at the moment when a degree has been conferred. Use it to wish the graduate well as they move on. Think of a particular accomplishment that deserves to be named. Perhaps they kept working through a difficult term or helped someone else along the way. One detail that you remember makes a wish for future success feel like it belongs to this person.

1. Choose a light wreath that fits comfortably. If you are preparing it for someone else, check the size before the celebration and keep it somewhere the leaves will stay in shape.
2. Wait until the ceremony has ended or choose a time at the family celebration. Offer the wreath and let the graduate put it on, or ask if they would like you to place it.
3. Name one achievement and add a wish for the next step. The graduate may be thinking about work, further study or a little time to consider their options.
4. Take a photograph if they want one. If they would like to keep something smaller, a card or a single leaf can be enough to remember the day.

At the University of Padua, Elena Cornaro Piscopia received a laurel crown when she earned her philosophy degree in 1678. The leaves stood for triumph. The university has also presented a laurel crown at a modern honorary degree ceremony. The two moments have different participants and purposes, but both help explain why the wreath belongs to the celebration after a degree has been earned. The crown is visible even from the far side of a room. It marks a person for a short time so that everyone can share the pleasure of seeing what they have achieved.