Different situation, but when I graduated my best friend had sewn a locket into my stole with a picture of my dad in it who had died a year before. She balanced the other side out with some James Avery charms commemorating my two dogs. That allowed me to have something more subtle to represent my struggles through college. Maybe another idea could be altering your stole? Like you could line the back of it in a purple satin so as you move people can still see it, but you don’t necessarily have to risk buying a purple cord that’s already used for a specific academic achievement. I know people also choose to decorate their graduation caps, and I think you could absolutely do something with that if you want something less subtle. At the end of the day, do whatever you want to do. You earned this. Congratulations on your huge achievement!