At the end of every spring semester, a graduation is organized to honor students, who have been eligible to graduate from the summer and fall semesters and students from the current spring semester.

The Student Development Office is the face of the committee involved with preparing graduation for students, Michelle Arthur, acting director of student development, said.

“It’s really intense,” she said. “It’s really fulfilling though.”

From the food services, florist, double-checking every honors graduate and setting up the reception to the technicians, vendors and deadlines, there is a “15 to 16 page memo that is passed down every year,” Arthur said.

There is usually additions made to the memo whenever things change, Arthur added.

“Historically it is always like this,” she said. “We try to start as early as October the semester before. This year we started in August.”

During the beginning of the preparations, meetings are had with stakeholders to organize the budgets, deadlines and options.

There are many people and divisions involved in making commencement possible.

The Fine Arts Division is especially important, Arthur said, because Joanna Medawar Nachef leads the chorale and Dane Teter conducts the band for the ceremony.

Arthur wants to thank all of those involved and El Camino because she is an alumna of the school and the president who gave her the opportunity. She added that she wants to thank her husband, who is also graduated from EC, and children as well.

“I would also like to add another note of thanks and that would be to our students who are the primary reason that this office and campus exists,” Arthur said, afterwards, in an email to “The Union.”

Update: May 14, 9:46 a.m. Michelle Arthur’s title and full name have been added to the story. It is no longer “Arthur” in the second paragraph but “Michelle Arthur, acting director of student development.“