During these unpredictable times, it is hard to find any sense of normalcy. None of this is normal to anyone. Our daily lives have changed, especially for college students. At Cal Lutheran in particular, over the past two to three weeks, we have had to face: classes going online, moving off-campus, not getting to say goodbye to friends which has all sucked, but it has especially hit harder for the class of 2020.
About two weeks ago, there was an email sent out regarding commencement being cancelled, which was supposed to take place on Saturday, May 16th, and there was a lot of social media posting, myself included, on how it wasn’t fair; a petition was even created. As a first-generation college student, I know how important graduations are, not just for us, but for our families, especially our parents. I remember reading the email and just crying my eyes out and even texting my mom and telling her how sad I was at the news. Luckily, during the town hall held on March 17th, President Kimball made sure to address the issue and stated that the class of 2020’s Commencement will be postponed to a later date when it is safe.
Although it is definitely necessary to postpone it with the virus going on right now, the downside is that not everyone will show up to that future commencement once the date is set. After all that has happened these past few weeks, people moved back home, some from different states or countries; others will be working at their full-time jobs or will be at their graduate schools by the time the new date is sent and other people will just not want to come if they live farther away. Many schools have stated that they will be postponing their commencements to December of this year, but it doesn’t seem right to set a date when we aren’t even sure if we will still be in the same situations as we are now.
To the Class of 2020: I am sorry. As a class, we have endured a lot. From the fires each year, to power outages, to the Borderline shooting, and now this. Through all of these circumstances, we have learned a lot about one another but most importantly: we have learned just how strong we are as a class and community. I am grateful that we will be having the Commencement that we so greatly deserve after all we have gone through in these four years, and even if we are not sure when that date will be, it gives us something to look forward to. And the fact that we will be having it eventually, will make the day even more special.
To the Class of 2020: I applaud each and every one of you. Whether you are an undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral student, I am proud of you. And I cannot wait until we get to see each other at commencement.
