Watch: Professors Surprise Graduating Students During Photo Booth Session

Last spring, five Clarke graduating students got the surprise of a lifetime.

As an end of year celebration, Clarke University set up a photo booth for students to use to capture fun photos. Clarke’s marketing office invited five special soon-to-be graduates to enter the booth one at a time. They thought it was an ordinary photo booth, but when each student stepped inside, they were shocked.

On the screen in front of them, they saw and heard a video of one of their favorite professors lauding their accomplishments.

“I tried so hard not to cry,” said Natascha Myers ’17, music major, “but I lost it when Jeremy Mims, [chair and professor of music] started tearing up in the video. I am truly going to miss my classes with him.”

When the five-minute video ended, each soon-to-be-grad was greeted by the professor from the video.

“I was hiding around the corner when Kristi went into the booth so she wouldn’t see me,” said Paula Schmidt, Chair and Professor of Education. “This was such a fun surprise and a great way to end the year. I just wish I could have done this with all of my students because they all deserve it.”

Since the video was posted on social media on May 23, it has reached more than 88,000 people on Facebook alone, with more than 36,000 views.

Watch the full video at clarke.edu/photobooth.

“This video shows that the connections that faculty and students make at Clarke University are unlike any other,” said Joanne Burrows, President of Clarke University. “Clarke’s small, close-knit campus allows professors to really get to know their students on a personal level. These types of relationships are ones that both the faculty and the students cherish forever.”

Congratulations to all of the 2017 Clarke University graduates!

Watch the video here.