In mid-March, Ben Ulrich was on a bus on his way to play as part of the Georgetown University pep band at the Big East men’s college basketball tournament in New York City when he learned that his classes would be moved online for the rest of the semester because of the coronavirus pandemic. The tournament was cancelled the next day, underscoring the gravity of the situation for him.
“That was when we knew, like, ‘Oh wow, this is very serious and we’re definitely all going to be home probably very soon,'” says Ulrich, a senior in the class of 2020 who studies science, technology, and international affairs.
Before he left campus to go home to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Ulrich got together with some of his friends to take graduation photos in their caps and gowns. (He’d already been in close contact with them and figured his risk of being exposed to COVID-19 was low.) Now, with Georgetown’s normal commencement ceremonies postponed, the friends plan to print out their own graduation announcements and send them to friends and family. “It would be sort of a nice surprise for our parents,” Ulrich notes.
He’s among D.C.’s thousands of soon-to-be graduates, including high-school students, who are figuring out how to celebrate their accomplishments and move forward. Bans on mass gatherings in light of the coronavirus have made the usual graduation events—with all their pomp and circumstance—unviable, while COVID-19 has made them unsafe.
For Ulrich, the past several weeks have been surreal. “If I was trying to picture the worst-possible-case scenario for how the rest of my spring semester would go after spring break,” he says, “under no circumstances would I think, ‘oh, a global pandemic would shut down campus and I would have no idea when I’m going to see any of my friends again.'”
In a statement on Georgetown’s website, the university says commencement will be delayed “to a time in which we can safely convene as a community,” but doesn’t specify a date. Although Ulrich says he’s heard the school’s officials might organize a virtual ceremony on the originally scheduled date, he hasn’t received definitive details and thinks Georgetown is unlikely to hold an in-person event until next year.
In an email, a university spokesperson reiterated the school’s plan to hold an in-person commencement event for the class of 2020 at a later date, adding, “For this spring, while it will look different from years past, we are committed to celebrating our students, and recognizing their achievements and contributions to our Georgetown community.” The spokesperson said the school will share more information about plans for a virtual celebration “in the coming days.”
Even for students whose schools have announced virtual ceremonies, some say these events just won’t be the same as the regular ones—diploma handshakes and all. Meghan Lewis, a senior at American University, says her school has pushed its in-person commencement to December and will hold an online ceremony on May 9. But she says the university has communicated few details to students, including whether names will be read or individual schools will be highlighted. (Disclosure: AU holds the license for DCist’s parent company, WAMU.)
In an email, Stacie Burgess, a representative for American, tells DCist that a digital program with the names of graduates and degree candidates will be made available on the university’s website in the days before the virtual ceremony, but names will not be read aloud. Burgess says students will be recognized individually in December.
Lewis lives in an off-campus apartment and is still in D.C. While her parents were planning on coming up from North Carolina for her graduation, the family has put those plans on hold, and she says her own disappointment about the changes caught her off guard.
“It wasn’t something that I knew was so meaningful to me until it wasn’t an option anymore,” says Lewis, who adds that she plans to watch the school’s online ceremony wearing pajama pants in lieu of a cap and gown. She also intends to participate in a virtual ceremony one of her friends from high school is arranging with graduates from various schools across the country, including North Carolina State University as well as Bard College. The participants filled out a Google form showing their schools, majors, and other details to be read aloud during the event, which will likely take place via Zoom.
“I think this one that was created by my friends will probably actually be more meaningful to me, just because it’s more individualized,” Lewis explains. “And I know for sure that my name will actually be read out.”
With schools across the country having made similar changes to their commencement plans, others are setting up their own virtual events for seniors. Facebook announced Tuesday that it would hold a graduation ceremony via Facebook Watch and Instagram on May 15: Oprah Winfrey will deliver a commencement speech, stars from Jennifer Garner to Lil Nas X will give remarks, and Miley Cyrus will perform. And earlier this week, actor John Krasinski revealed that he will celebrate 2020 graduates via his web series, Some Good News.
Some graduates and their families have been surprised by smaller gestures from friends and classmates. Chelsea Henderson, a Cheverly, Maryland-based consultant whose oldest son, Jack, is a senior at the St. Anselm’s Abbey School in D.C., says once the school switched to online classes, it looked like its graduation ceremony—initially scheduled for May 30—would likely be cancelled. Henderson says her family hasn’t received any official word from the school yet and they’ve paused their plans for an in-person celebration with extended family and out-of-town guests.
But on Sunday, as she and Jack were about to go for a walk, they saw a St. Anselm’s Abbey junior and his father placing a sign in their front yard. The sign displayed a message congratulating the class of 2020.
“[Jack] was like, ‘Wait, I know those people in that truck,'” says Henderson. “‘Wait, he goes to my school. What are they doing here?'” With cooperation from the school, St. Anselm parents had arranged to deliver signs to all 37 members of the graduating class. “It was a touching moment,” Henderson adds, noting that she’s been asked to provide photos for an upcoming display that will honor the graduates.
Local high schools are also determining their plans. Shayne Wells, a spokesperson for D.C. Public Schools, says in an email that though DCPS is still finalizing what graduation ceremonies will look like this year, the system is going to recognize its students on social media on May 1 to celebrate college-bound seniors.
Ulrich, the Georgetown senior, says he’s focused on finishing up his classes at home, even as he’s come down with a case of “extreme senioritis.” He’s especially disappointed that he and his friends won’t get to experience Georgetown’s Senior Week, which usually takes place the week after finals and includes a ball at Union Station, among other activities.
Still, Ulrich and his friends have talked about holding their own virtual celebration in the coming weeks. The coronavirus crisis has made them realize how rewarding it is to stay connected to one another when they can’t hang out in person, he says.
“The one thing that I think we’re going to take away from this is that we really do want to stay in touch with each other,”Ulrich says. “And that we’re all going to work even harder to stay in touch after this.”
This post has been updated with comment from Georgetown.
