Grad Fest 2022 Offers ‘One-Stop-Shop’ for Commencement Needs

Graduating students are invited to College of the Desert’s Grad Fest on May 5 to gather guest tickets, pick up commencement regalia, and obtain answers to questions about the 2022 commencement ceremony.

Grad Fest will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Gym at the Palm Desert campus, 43500 Monterey Ave.

More than 1,200 College of the Desert students will collect their degrees and certificates on May 25 – the largest graduating class in the history of the College. The ceremony will be held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden; it is the first
in-person graduation event since the pandemic began.

Graduates from the classes of 2021 and 2020, whose commencements were held virtually due to the pandemic, are also invited to participate in Grad Fest and this year’s in-person ceremony.

The checklist of graduation-day duties can be long, and Grad Fest is intended to simplify the process. Students can access the following:

  • Pick up cap, tassel, and gown–provided free by the College of the Desert Foundation
  • Register for graduation ceremony participation
  • Pick up commencement guest tickets
  • Interact with representatives from four-year colleges and universities
  • Be photographed in cap, tassel, and gown by a professional photographer
  • Enter the College’s Alumni Association-sponsored cap decorating contest
  • Enjoy free food and beverages
  • Win prizes

“We want to make graduation preparation as seamless as possible for our students so they can enjoy the ceremony and their major accomplishments,” said Superintendent/President Martha Garcia, Ed.D. “We are especially grateful to the College of the Desert Foundation donors who underwrite the purchase of graduation regalia for all our students.”

For more information, contact the Admissions & Records Office at 760.773.2516 or visit collegeofthedesert.edu.