Having a connection to the university you attend can mean the difference between graduating or not. Several of WSU’s seniors will bid a goodbye to this part of their life to embark on a new journey. That journey will begin at WSU’s fall commencement ceremony tomorrow at 10 a.m. in Beasley Coliseum.

The feeling of connection to one’s university community is often referred to as institutional commitment, said professor of human development Robby Cooper.

As graduation approaches, many take the time to reflect on what it means to be a WSU cougar and having to leave a home.

“There is no other community like the Pullman community. That’s what makes it so special,” said Lindsey Smith, graduating communication major. “It is the college town dream that people and movies talk about. I’m thankful for that one day I decided to hit ‘submit.’”

Smith, who has the highest GPA in the Murrow College of Communication, will be the Gonfalon Bearer at the ceremony.

“I’ve been in school since age five, and it has been monotonous,” she said. “But I’m definitely not going to miss trudging along campus, staying up all night doing papers, and stressing over tests.”

With a lot of hard work over many years, WSU provides opportunity for students. Whether it’s taking academic or professional risks, students have the comfort in knowing that they don’t have to win every time, but they learn that taking something from every experience is the goal, said Mike Trevisan, Dean of the College of Education.

However, not all the experiences are academic; student life provides learning opportunities as well.

Students are here for an education but the people, sporting events, and social aspect makes school a little more tolerable, said Christopher Woodward, a graduating zoology major.

Senior nursing major Tyler Lamb said being part of a fraternity and going to the sporting events really made his time here memorable. He said the comradery and synergy stood out to him the most.

Students get a very intense education and community, which creates a very special bond with their school, said Dean Lawrence Pintak of The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication.

“I am always inspired by the number of first-generation college students that we graduate,” Pintak said.

Woodward said he is proud to graduate with a degree that says WSU on it, but that his experiences here are hard to explain.

“Being a Coug is a lifestyle people adopt,” Woodward said. “People from the outside can’t understand it, and people inside can’t explain it. I don’t think there are as many fans that are as passionate or loyal.”

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to contain accurate information.