<span style="font-weight: 400;">NameCoach offers a variety of supports to schools with diverse populations. </span><a href="https://cloud.name-coach.com/commencement"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Commencement Services</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> are just the tip of the iceberg! Some say the best form of advertising is a positive review and NameCoach has no shortage of teachers and administrators that rave about their products.</span>

[caption id="attachment_168" align="alignnone" width="1031"]<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/vEgVWRBr2VY"><img class="size-full wp-image-168" src="https://name-coach.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Screen-Shot-2017-10-26-at-9.14.25-PM.png" alt="" width="1031" height="660" /></a> <em>Image Credit: @coleito on Unsplash</em>[/caption]

<span style="font-weight: 400;">One of their most used features is the Commencement Service. With this, educational institutions show their dedication to a culture of respect by ensuring that all student names will be pronounced correctly. This helps make commencement a time of celebration and not of anxiety -- for the speaker, but more importantly, for the student and his or her family.</span>
<blockquote><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I was so excited, you should have seen me! It was right there all at my fingertips, and allowed me to feel confident that I was going to say their names correctly. It’s a good feeling, and I don’t have to stress about it now when I’m at the podium, so I can focus on the students and enjoy seeing them come up on stage and receive their recognitions.”</span></i>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">— </span><a href="https://cloud.name-coach.com/commencement"><span style="font-weight: 400;">DR. AURORA BENNET</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR STUDENT AFFAIRS &amp; ADMISSIONS, UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI COLLEGE OF MEDICINE</span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Miraculous. It eliminates any possibility of error, and it is great to see how happy they are when it’s said correctly after their four years of hard work. This is a way to show a high level of respect.”</span></i>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">— TRACY TENNYSON, DIRECTOR OF EVENT MANAGEMENT, HAMLINE UNIVERSITY</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Creating a culture of respect in the classroom is of paramount importance to educators. NameCoach provides other tools that will help institutions show students and their families that they respect what is of value to them: NameBadges and Gender Identity Modules (through NameCoach Connect)</span>

<a href="https://www.name-coach.com/namebadge?_ga=2.131607247.1108006538.1508686565-706040597.1506215394"><span style="font-weight: 400;">NameBadges</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> make it easy for students to not only teach others how to say their names correctly, but also for them to share pieces of their family and cultural history (such as a history of your last name, meaning of your first name, and stories about your name) in an organized manner. This feature is great to use for formal events, but also for informal presentations - particularly at the beginning of the school year - as a get-to-know-you activity.</span>

[caption id="attachment_159" align="alignnone" width="934"]<a href="https://name-coach.com/sarah-frohmberg"><img class="size-full wp-image-159" src="https://name-coach.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/NameBadge.png" alt="" width="934" height="506" /></a> <em>Click on the image above</em>[/caption]

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The feature can also be used outside of the educational world, on platforms such as LinkedIn, Indeed, or Facebook etc. </span>
<blockquote><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Brilliant! I can 100% say I would be a different person if I had not had a “weird” name growing up in the US. I wish they had had this when I was in school. I now teach, and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who was involved in making this.”</span></i>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">— NELLEKE SPANJAARD, HARRIS TEACHER, SOMERVILLE, MA </span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I usually apply to positions using my middle name to keep people from having that awkward moment of trying to pronounce my name. Hopefully, your product will reduce this practice.”</span></i>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">— SIOBHAN SHERRIN, CLOUDABILITY INC.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">NameCoach Connect offers another tool, </span><a href="https://cloud.name-coach.com/namecoach-connect"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gender Identity Modules</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which further enhances a school’s ability to meet the individual needs of their student body. This is especially significant as the definition of diversity expands as cultural mores change to reflect its community.</span>
<blockquote><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The new service will help faculty, students and staff foster a sense of belonging among students... makes it easier for students’ identities and cultures to be respected.”</span></i>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">— DERECA BLACKMON, ASSOCIATE DEAN AND DIRECTOR, DIVERSITY AND FIRST-GEN OFFICE, STUDENT AFFAIRS, STANFORD UNIVERSITY</span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We want to recognize what is important to our students and know they won’t always communicate those values outright. As educators, it is our job to put programs into place that show we care about what is important to them.”</span></i>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">— JASON MARKEY, PRINCIPAL, EAST LEYDON HIGH SCHOOL</span></blockquote>
[caption id="attachment_169" align="alignnone" width="2500"]<a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/I1IWBCgKoZc"><img class="size-full wp-image-169" src="https://name-coach.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/redd-angelo-11902.jpg" alt="" width="2500" height="1667" /></a> <em>Image Credit: @reddangelo16 on Unsplash</em>[/caption]

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<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">This post is submitted by Sarah Frohmberg, a high school teacher in Kansas City.</span></i>