SMU Student Fixes Graduation Cap Twice After It Falls Off During Commencement Ceremony
Our graduation ceremonies at universities are pretty important milestones for us to reach.
As such, we’d usually wish for such an event to be pulled off without a hitch.
One student’s commencement ceremony, however, did not turn out as smoothly as she had probably hoped for it to be.
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Her hat fell off twice while accepting her certificate, requiring her to fix it repeatedly.
Graduation cap belonging to SMU student falls off twice
Jiaying, aka @j1aying, took to TikTok to share a 32-second clip of the experience.
The video starts with her walking up to shake the hand of the Dean of the School of Computing and Information Systems at Singapore Management University (SMU), Professor Pang Hwee Hwa.
Right when she reaches out to hold the certificate, the hat falls off her head.
Letting out an embarrassed smile, she attempts to grab it before bending down to retrieve the item.
Source: @j1aying on TikTok
Dr Pang waits patiently by the side as she fixes the hat, and they begin posing for pictures while holding the certificate together.
A few seconds pass, following which the hat topples off again.
Clearly amused, Dr Pang smiles as Jiaying quickly picks it up, affixing it onto her head.
Source: @j1aying on TikTok
He waves off her apologies, and they stand for pictures again. It’s a success this time, with the hat remaining in its position.
Commenters praise her for handling situation well
The video quickly went viral on TikTok, with many expressing amusement at the sight.
Some users praised Jiaying for keeping her cool during a moment that must have been embarrassing to bear.
Source: TikTok
Despite the hat repeatedly falling off, she maintained her composure on the stage.
A few netizens suggested that the smooth texture of her hair might have led to it toppling off her head.
Source: TikTok
And, of course, one user in particular couldn’t resist making a pun.
Source: TikTok
Felt paiseh for taking up more time on stage
Speaking to MS News, Jiaying shared that the ceremony was on 28 July. She was still unsure about why the hat fell off as she had it fitted with the correct measurements.
It had stayed on during a pre-graduation shoot, and before the ceremony on the day itself, she adjusted it several times, with it never toppling to the floor.
She noted, however, that some had said wearing it at a slanted angle could have led to the incident.
“The first time when the hat fell off, I wasn’t feeling much,” she added. “The second time, however… I was paiseh [because] I took up more time than the rest, but I wasn’t awkward nor nervous.”
Indeed, hats off to Jiaying for maintaining her composure throughout the ceremony.
Here’s wishing her all the best for her plans post-graduation.
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