Capturing the end of an era
Ah Spring Quarter, it took you long enough to arrive! The Winter Quarter blues were rough, but we’ve all made it through to the end of the tunnel. The sun is shining again, the birds are chirping their melodious harmonies signaling the arrival of spring, and graduating seniors are taking their much-anticipated graduation photos. UC Davis’s beautiful campus makes it rather difficult for seniors to narrow down the top spots for graduation photos. The California Aggie has compiled a list of some of the prime campus locations that’ll guarantee that your graduation photos turn out picture-perfect.
The Arboretum and Public Garden
The Arboretum is truly a Davis classic. If you’re a UC Davis student, odds are you’ve visited the Arboretum at least once. The sunlight seeping through the trees, the glistening arboretum waters, the abundance of green fields everywhere you look — the Arboretum encompasses the beauty that is Davis. And if you’re lucky enough, you’ll be visited by some of the the famous Arboretum otters!
The Bookhead Egghead
Let’s admit it — we’ve all spent one too many late nights at Shields Library cramming for a midterm or final that we should’ve studied for weeks in advance. What better way to pay homage to those sleepless nights than to take your graduation photo with the infamous bookhead? The bookhead is one of the most popular eggheads for a reason — it is the visual representation of your years as a ‘tired college student.’
West Quad
Nothing captures the essence of the quaint city of Davis quite like bicycles do. Biking is every Davisite’s preferred mode of transportation, and at some point in your time here, you surely must have biked down that familiar path overlooking the CoHo and Wellman Hall. Did you fall victim to the infamous ‘freshman stripe’ during Davis’s intense winter rainfall? Sure. Did you get into a couple of bike accidents here and there? Guilty. Looking back on those graduation photos you took along West Quad will allow you to reminisce back on your glory days of bike fenders and bike circles.
The Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art
One of of the newer buildings on campus, the Manetti Shrem’s architectural excellence makes it a beautiful site for photoshoots of any kind. The museum’s exhibits, which include artwork crafted by renowned contemporary artists, portray everything that is unique about Davis. The building itself is a marvel to look at and serves as an alluring backdrop for students’ graduation photos.
The Brick UC Davis Sign
The brick sign is a go-to spot for all graduation photoshoots. It’s become somewhat of a tradition for freshman students to take end-of-the-year photos in front of the brick sign as a signification of finishing their first year at UC Davis. It is no wonder the brick sign has become such a popular destination for graduation photos — it’s a tribute to the years of opportunities, friendships and personal growth that students have experienced during their time at UC Davis, between their very first brick-sign photo to their last.
Written by: Emily Nguyen — features@theaggie.org
