Graduation is here. It is a time for excitement and a little uneasiness for parents and those who will be on stage in the coming days. Over the years I have covered more than my fair share of graduations and have seen a number of seniors make rookie mistakes that made their ceremonies memorable for all the wrong reasons.

This year, I would like to offer a few tips to Black Belt graduates to help make their special day go a little smoother. Here are five tips to save you from a potentially embarrassing situation.

1. Show up on time. Even if you are one of those people who are 15 minutes late for every occasion make an exception in this case. There is nothing more embarrassing than seeing a graduate run onto the stage after the graduation march has already taken place. To be blount, if you are doing the desperation sprint into your graduation ceremony, you will look like a complete idiot.

2. No texting, no texting, no texting. Technology is great. You’ll never hear me disagree that texting and cell phone technology is awesome. But, there is a time and a place to put that technology to use. Pay attention during graduation and remember that all eyes are on you. You don’t want to look like a spoiled brat texting your best friend or playing Angry Birds during the most important day of your academic career.

3. When you decide what to wear under your gown, choose wisely. Contrary to what many graduates believe, the outfit you wear under the graduation gown is important. Shorts are not an option.

4. Do whatever you have to do to stay awake. One of the worst graduation blunders I have ever seen was a young man who just couldn’t stay conscious during the graduation speeches. Throughout the ceremony you could see his head bobbing up and down and then finally, bam! He hit the floor. Kids, no matter how hard you try you can’t play that off.

5. Finally, when the ceremony is over and the hats are thrown in the air, if you can’t catch don’t look up. Graduation caps have corners. Corners are sharp. A young girl in Georgia found this out the hard way by trying to follow a descending cap into her hand. Things didn’t work out. Her post graduation photos eventually featured a nice shiner.

After years of covering graduations I have seen it all. I hope some of the blunders I have seen in the past can save you a little embarrassment.

on your special day.v