When my oldest niece graduated from college, we went to the ceremony for her academic area (education) but she opted not to participate in the one for the entire university.

My nephew's graduation was a long day. Only one graduation per year so we sat through the honorary doctorates, Ph.D. hoodings and master's candidates for that one minute of seeing him walk across the stage and hear his name called as a bachelor's degree recipient. The family of the graduate before him was making so much noise that we almost missed hearing his name called. We all had supper together afterward, so that was our chance to celebrate his achievement.