On graduation day, students who complete the Periclean Scholars program have the privilege of wearing a unique, program-specific stole as part of their academic regalia. These stoles are designed and produced by local craftspeople from communities that the Scholars have partnered with, and are often closely linked with the Scholars’ Class projects.

For example, the work of the Periclean Scholars Class of 2019 was dedicated to the advancement of economic opportunities for women in Sri Lanka. In partnership with Sarvodaya (Sri Lanka’s oldest and largest NGO), the Class of 2019 engaged with initiatives that focused on the promotion of women-run businesses, as well as broader community-based tourism programs that directly positively impacted women and their immediate families in Jaffna, Anuradhapura, Trincomalee, and the greater Wellawaya area.

The Class of 2019’s stoles were custom designed and hand crafted (cut, sewn, and hand-printed) at a small tailor shop in Handapanagala, Sri Lanka. This small shop is owned and operated by women, and produces locally consumed garments, including uniforms for schoolchildren, police, and civil servants.