On February 24, the University of Wyoming sent out an email confirming that spring graduation 2021 would be held virtually.
“I kind of expected it just because over the winter and last spring it was virtual. I just was waiting for the official announcement,” Bailey Vogler, a senior majoring in communications, said.
The email stated that reasons for hosting the graduation virtually included concerns about travel and large gatherings. The fact that all UW classes will return to virtual delivery after spring break also impacted this decision, since some students may be travelling.
“I don’t think it’s a very good situation that we’re in globally right now, but my mindset is I want us all to be safe. I’m just happy that we actually get to do something and celebrate it in some sort of way,” Rylee Berger, a senior in the college of education, said. “Of course there is that disappointment because you do want to be in person, but what can you do.”
Some seniors said that an in-person graduation could be possible if extra precautions and outdoor spaces, such as the football stadium, were utilized.
“Every kid wants to be recognized for their achievements, and college is a pretty big one,” Tanner Conley, a senior in communications, said. “We’ve got an entire football stadium that’s not really being used, and there’s more than enough space for a graduating class or a ceremony on that, especially if you put people in the stands.”
Vogler also said that the stadium could be used for a safe graduation.
“I feel like the university could make it work if we did it in the stadium. A lot of other universities have done that with graduations, all socially distanced,” Vogler said. “Our field is pretty big and it’s outdoors, so I feel like that’s something that we could do.”
Aina Farid, a senior in communications, said that other universities have used different alternatives for memorable graduations.
“Some universities even did drive-through graduations where they all stayed in their cars. If they had thought more out of the box, we could’ve had a more eventful graduation,” Farid said.
As an international student, Farid said that the plan to host graduation virtually impacts her family in a different way. She said the trip to America takes 16 hours.
“I’m from Malaysia, so my family did plan on coming here to see me graduate and have some extra time for a vacation and things like that,” Farid said. “Since it’s online, those plans kind of went out the window.”
Berger and Conley said that hosting graduation online doesn’t only affect seniors, but also parents and families of the graduates.
“I heard a lot from different parents, and I think the concern is, ‘my child worked really hard these last 4, 5, 6 years, 8 years for our graduate and PHD students, and they deserve that recognition,’” Berger said. “I completely understand that side. I also hear parents say they want to stay safe. I’ve heard both sides, and I totally understand.”
“Not even just seniors wanted it. Families wanted it. Juniors and sophomores wanted it because it’s a step towards normal, if such a thing exists anymore,” Conley said. “I know when I was a junior and they didn’t get their graduation I was like, ‘oh, now I might not get mine.’”
Despite the disappointments felt by the UW community due to virtual graduation, seniors reflected on their time at the university with positivity. Vogler said that her most fond memory was having the opportunity to study abroad.
“I was the friend that found all the free events. A big thing I really miss where I made a lot of my memories is the multicultural dinners they would do in the Union, as well as swing dancing,” Vogler said. “My favorite thing about the university was getting to study abroad and go to New Zealand. I got the chance to do that before COVID hit.”
Conley said that the liveliness and variety of people on campus made great memories.
“I really liked the sense of diversity. UW campus is like a big community, and you get all of these different inputs from people,” Conley said. “I love it when people do protests on campus, not because I get involved, but because it’s a fun thing to see.”
“I think it was a really good choice for me to go to UW because coming here, I really experienced that small-college feel while having the high education opportunity on campus,” Farid said. “Culturally, although we’re different in terms of countries, I still found a sense of belonging and a sense of family here at the university, especially with the COJO [Communication and Journalism] department.”
Farid said that her advice to future international students is to not be afraid to come to the U.S. or to UW because people will always be willing to help out and get resources.
“I think the thing that sticks out about most of my memories is all of them happened through university functions,” Berger said. “They had all these freshman activities. I didn’t have a lot of friends yet, so I decided to put myself out there and go on a ghost hunt in Knight Hall. I went with my RA [Resident Assistant] and a couple of friends. We had a blast, and ever since then we stayed in touch and talked that whole time.”
Berger said she has no regrets leaving college thanks to her 18-year-old self who got out of her comfort zone and tried new things.
The spring 2021 commencement will be held Saturday, May 15, at 10 a.m. on the UW YouTube channel.
More information on graduation can be found here: http://www.uwyo.edu/commencement/
