Two-day CARmencement will be a celebration on wheels
University staff prepares for CARmencement, a celebratory vehicle parade May 21-22 to honor graduates of the Class of 2020 and Class of 2021.
Sacramento State’s event celebrating graduates who endured throughout all or parts of three semesters disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic will be nontraditional.
That calls for some unconventional approaches by participants in what the University has named “CARmencement,” a vehicle procession honoring the classes of 2020 and 2021 that will wind through campus May 21-22.
The event is the University’s alternative – necessitated by safety concerns and guidelines established during the pandemic – to Commencement ceremonies usually held in downtown Sacramento at the Golden 1 Center.
Between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Friday, May 21, and Saturday, May 22, Sac State will celebrate the 3,746 graduates who registered to participate in CARmencement. They represent a significant portion of the Class of 2020’s 8,563 graduates and Class of 2021’s 9,047 graduates.
The grads are encouraged to wear caps and gowns and to decorate their vehicles.
Along the way, University faculty and staff will provide cheers and support, part of what organizers foresee as a noisy, festive scene.
Vehicles will pass through the music-filled “Rave Tunnel” and roll by “Celebration Circle” at Guy West Plaza, where entertainment will include a KSSU Radio Sacramento DJ, the Sac State marching and pep bands, and the Hornet Athletics spirit team.
Max Connor, outgoing editor-in-chief of the State Hornet student newspaper, rented a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van and plans to have his wife, three children, mom and stepdad, dad and stepmom, in-laws, and his sister and her husband along for the ride.
“I will definitely be decorating the van with the State Hornet logo and probably some phrases about the ethics of journalism that mean something to me and my family,” Connor said.
“I think I’ll wear my Commencement regalia and open the sunroof,” Miller said.
Two graduates – Haley Roeder and Mariah Palomo – won a Student Affairs social media drawing for a limousine to carry them during the procession.
Sarahanne Mora, the Dean’s Award winner for the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and her husband, Jon Peter Mora, are graduating from different colleges. Ordinarily, they would walk across the Golden 1 Center stage during separate Commencement ceremonies.
With CARmencement, though, they will graduate together with their two young children looking on from the back seat.
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Legends of Tomorrow: DJ S’more Money Actor, Origins, & What He Looks Like
Legends of Tomorrow season 6 brought back DJ S’more Money for their singing competition parody episode, called “The X-Factor,” and here’s who plays the helmeted character, his origins, and what he actually looks like in real life. “The Ex-Factor” saw the crew of the Waverider revisiting 2045 in a bid to stop an advanced alien being from conquering the world with his space army. The episode also saw the return of DJ S’more Money, which only added to the fun. Here’s what to know about the actor who plays the DJ.
First introduced in Legends of Tomorrow season 5, DJ S’more Money was Zari Tarazi’s boyfriend (and almost fiancée) before he cheated on her with her assistant. The character is a music producer, though his face has never actually been shown onscreen since he’s always seen wearing a s’more helmet on his head to hide his face. The character has certainly made an impact on the show, most notable for his memorable costume. DJ S’more Money is a parody of Marshmello, a real-life record producer and DJ who wears a marshmallow helmet over his head while working on anything related to his music career. His identity was previously unknown, but has since been confirmed to be Chris Comstock, who began posting his music to SoundCloud before moving on to work with famous singers like Selena Gomez.
DJ Khaled Wants You to Embrace Your “Blessings” With His New Skincare Brand.
“Showing gratitude for life by taking care of yourself is a beautiful thing,” says the Grammy Award winner.
While many other celebs have jumped into the world of CBD edibles, topicals, and tinctures, today, Khaled expands his empire into CBD-enhanced men’s grooming products.
The Grammy award-winning artist partnered with Endexx Corporation to launch a collection of six, refreshingly tropical, spa-like products for men to upgrade their skincare routine at an accessible price.
It’s no secret that Khaled preaches wellness rituals, from meditation to manifestation across his platforms and into his music, and self-care through skincare is one of his major keys to his success. Each BLESSWELL product focuses on a natural approach to achieve healthy hair and skin, essential to a man’s wellbeing.
“I love self-care,” says Khaled. “If you follow Khaled, you know I’m going to motivate you and inspire you to take care of yourself.”
And Khaled knows a thing or two about success. In collaboration with celebrity friends—Justin Bieber, Drake, and Post Malone, to name a few, the music mogul’s twelfth studio album, Khaled Khaled took the number one slot on the Billboard 200 chart this month.
How 9-Year-Old Michelle Rasul Became An Expert DJ
A 9-year-old in Dubai is considered one of the world’s top DJs. NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with Michelle Rasul about how she became a wizard at scratching on a portable turntable.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Michelle Rasul, known as DJ Michelle, just became the youngest competitor ever in the DMC World DJ Championships. And out of 85 professional DJs from around the world, she placed 14th in the global portable scratch competition.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Now, all right. A heads-up – this interview is going to sound a little weird. See – NPR is still having us work mostly from home, and that means talking to guests over Zoom while my side is recorded on a special remote setup. And it normally works until it doesn’t. We had to use my backup recording for this one, but I promise the interview is still well worth listening to. Here it is.
DJ Michelle is on the line with us now from Dubai. Hello.
MICHELLE RASUL: Hi.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: You must be so excited. How are you feeling?
MICHELLE: I feel like (screaming).
GARCIA-NAVARRO: (Laughter).
MICHELLE: Like, really super-duper excited.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: What was it like competing against people who are so much older?
MICHELLE: It was actually really exciting. It was an awesome feeling, like, because, like, they were all the best DJs from around the world. And my dad was in it, too, actually. So it was fantabulastic (laughter).
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Fantabulastic is a great word. Your dad competed too. He finished ahead of you in ninth place. But he’s the one who first taught you about how to be a DJ, right? Tell me about that.
MICHELLE: Basically, when I was really, really little, I saw him DJing. And when I turned 5, I told him that I want to be a DJ on my birthday, and he got me some turntables. He started teaching me the basics. When I learned the basics, I was using online DJ schools like the Beat Junkies’, DJ Qbert Skratch University. And for beat juggling, I’m using Brolic Army.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: What inspired you to do this? I mean, you heard your dad. What do you like about the music?
MICHELLE: I like everything. Music is my life. Music is my passion. I can’t imagine my life without music, so – like, from when I was, like, this little, I didn’t listen to, like, “Baby Shark” stuff, ABC songs. I listened to 2Pac, B.I.G., Jay-Z, Chuck D – like, all those legendary rappers. When my dad turned on the music, I was like, dad, this is B.I.G., wow.
