As graduation season begins, Baruch College students feel the loss of not having the opportunity to walk on stage.

A lower senior, Kiana Domenech, created a petition and the Instagram account “let us walk” Baruch,” to have graduating students walk. The petition has over 2,000 signatures.

“We deserve to be recognized and heard,” she said. “We deserve to have that opportunity to walk and celebrate ourselves.”

Domenech, majoring in communications, transferred to Baruch from SUNY Westchester Union Day College, which has students walk across the stage. After the success of Brooklyn College students who successfully got their school to let them walk for commencement, Domenech asked the head student on the BC campaign, user African_stalliionn, for help.

“Seeing how Brooklyn College did their initiative and how they started, essentially gave me the push to start for us,” she said. Even with concerns from her mother, Domenech started the petition and Instagram account alone.

As the account gained traction, she began to recruit members for help, similarly to the Brooklyn College movement. She created a social media team to post updates promptly about Baruch and other CUNY schools that are fighting to walk for commencement.

Hunter College students are also retaliating, having held their first demonstration on May 7. But Baruch will be taking a different approach compared to Brooklyn College and Hunter College.

Instead of protests, the plan for Baruch is to get the Undergraduate Student Government on their side.

“I’m like demanding we speak to like USG,” she said. As the movement gained traction around campus, upper seniors, who are graduating, sent their support to Domenech.

But as the movement spreads throughout the CUNY community, Domenech appreciates the support and traction it has gained.

“It’s no longer just a me thing, it’s becoming a student initiative,” Domenech said.