USF World News

Spring 2023 International Sash Ceremony

May 5, 2023 (Tampa, Florida) − On May 3, the Office of International Services hosted the Spring 2023 International Sash Ceremony. This ceremony honors graduating international students by presenting them with a flag sash representing their home country. This spring nearly 400 undergraduate and graduate students graduated representing 64 different countries, and we were able to celebrate one third of those students at the ceremony. Sash ceremonies are a unique USF tradition that allows the Office of International Services to officially recognize the academic, social, and professional contributions of our students to the university, and to welcome them into their new role as international alumni. The international flag sashes are also a meaningful symbol of USF’s commitment to global diversity at the USF Commencement ceremonies, which take place later in the week.

Although sash ceremonies have been an honored USF World tradition for over 15 years, we are always looking for ways to grow the event and make it even more special for our graduates and their loved ones. One of the newest additions to the program is the opportunity for family and friends from all over the world to join us on Microsoft Teams and wave to their graduate virtually at the end of the ceremony. For graduating international students whose families can’t make it to Florida for commencement week, this is an impactful visual display of all the individuals who supported them throughout their education. In Spring 2023, we hosted our largest hybrid ceremony to date with 196 families joining us virtually to celebrate the Class of 2023.