Each year, some graduating seniors choose to decorate their mortarboards as a means of expressing themselves among the hundreds of purple robes and hats.

“I think it's a great way for students to express both their personalities and their accomplishments,” said Lacey Gardell, a graduate of the speech-language pathology program.

Many women in the nursing and speech-language pathology majors chose to decorate their hats. But women from other majors, and even some men, partook in the tradition as well.

Reagan Elliott, a graduate of the Harris College of Nursing, said the nursing majors typically decorate their hats with the hospital or unit insignia in which they are going to work.

“It’s just a fun way to celebrate our hard work and where it has gotten us,” Elliott said.

Fourteen graduates shared photos of their hats with TCU 360. Scroll through the slideshow to see the hats and read how the graduates chose their designs.