DR presenters share stories behind their graduation caps

Graduation caps across Denmark are being dusted off as students celebrate, with each cut and notch telling a story from their school days, reports DR.

Inge Thorup, a P3 radio host, graduated from Morsø Gymnasium in 2018. Her cap bears two waves from swimming in the Limfjord, a heart marking a sexual encounter, and countless messages from friends—so many that the inner lining was used for extra space. Two notes predicted she would become a children’s TV host, a dream she later fulfilled on DR’s Ultra Nyt. She avoided adding a notch for vomiting, calling it “ugly.”

Ole Tøpholm, known for his Melodi Grand Prix commentary, graduated in 1989. His cap arrived days late after a supplier delay left his box empty on graduation day. The international business program graduate’s cap now shows its age, adorned with flags from his studies.

Each cap carries its own history, from Ane Cortzen’s memories of freedom to the more than 30 rules dictating what each cut represents—whether it’s a square for drinking a crate of beer in a day or a notch for vomiting into a bush.