Graduation ceremonies are typically a time of celebration as you reflect on all the hard work you’ve achieved over the course of your degree. Personally, I remember my graduation being a little boring to be honest, as I spent most of the day waiting around in long queues to have my photo taken donned in that signature black gown and mortarboard cap, but I digress. One student at Texas Tech University, however, decided to shirk the traditional formality of shaking hands with their University President, and instead, showcased their ‘cringe‘ dance skills. The video footage is doing the rounds on social media, and was shared recently to Reddit for all to see.
The 17-second clip centers on the ceremonial moment where graduates take turns to greet and shake hands with their University President. On the left side is President Lawrence Schovanec sporting his formal black attire, and on the right side of the frame is student, Emily Hopson. Instead of the usual decorum and etiquette, however, we see Hopson dancing around the stage like she’s at a nightclub for around 15 seconds. Near the end of the viral footage we see the President of the University extend his hand for the typical handshake, but Hopson refuses to do so and walks offstage shaking her head instead.
With over 12k upvotes and 2k comments at the time of writing, it’s fair to say that the awkward clip has gone viral. Comments flew in from all around the internet, with many slamming the student for her lack of decorum.
Yeah, no. The dean should revoke her degree for wasting everybody’s time with this dumb display of narcissism.
thunderhead27
Meanwhile, another Redditor weighed in, writing: “Why refuse to shake the president of the university’s hand? After all, she chose to attend and partake… was this supposed to be brave? Looks juvenile and void of all scholastic integrity.”
Elsewhere, a fourth netizen chimed in with, “Someone’s going to have the shock of her life when she joins the working world.“
A further commenter added, “Cringe as f**k.”
Adding much needed context to her behavior is a statement from Emily Hopson herself, as reported by KCBD:
The reason for me not shaking his hand came from my own personal experiences with him, and administration. It does not have to do with just people of color but also disabled people and them not prioritizing their funding to make sure all students are receiving a different experience at Texas Tech. I didn’t do it just for shock factor.”
Emily Hopson
In response to the incident, Texas Tech University issued the following statement earlier today:
Since the passage of Senate Bill 17, Texas Tech University has maintained that it will obey the letter and the spirit of the law while remaining steadfast in our support of all Red Raider students, faculty, and staff. We continue to provide support services for all our students in ways that comply with the law.
Texas Tech University
Commencement is an event meant to honor the hard work and achievement of our students, and it’s unfortunate that anything would detract from that purpose.
While detractors are largely criticising Hopson’s embarrassing “display of narcissism“, it’s fair to say that the motives behind her ‘cringe‘ behavior were noble. Perhaps this wasn’t a completely vapid attempt at getting attention after all, like some netizens initially thought. In other words, there’s definitely more to this story than meets the eye.
