Graduating during a pandemic
Photo courtesy of Isabel at her preschool graduation.
Pomp and Circumstance March plays as I walk on stage to receive my hard-earned high school diploma is what I envisioned for me at the end of my senior year, but did not receive. During high school, in the heat of IB and AP exam season, I looked forward to graduation. Experiencing the highs and lows of growing up, I had hoped that a traditional graduation was certain, almost inevitable. Then came, COVID-19.
Being a part of class of 2020 ultimately has changed my outlook on life and perspective on the subject of milestones. As many of you may know by now, we (high school and college seniors), did not get what we had dreamed of for our entire lives. Instead, what we got was a media frenzy and celebrities trying to replace what we had envisioned and profit off of our raw emotions. “Dear class of 2020” was one Youtube click away. I’m proud to say my commencement ceremony had a global audience and speeches from Barack Obama to Taylor Swift, yet we could not hear the roar of the audience, as we were at our homes. In other words, we were robbed of our moment to celebrate our hard-earned accomplishments.
Speaking from personal experience, graduation was a touchy subject in my household. During what had seemed like those never-ending beginning months of quarantine, I almost refused to talk about graduation or prom and encouraged my family to do the same. I wanted to avoid the feeling of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and the true reality that I will be missing a milestone I’ll never have the opportunity to experience.
At this time in June, it also seemed like my high school had felt the same. It had seemed like there was no definite plan in place for any of our end of the year celebratory events. I felt like we were prolonging the inevitable. Our senior ceremony was scheduled for May, which obviously did not happen, then I received my diploma via mail in July. I officially graduated high school after registering for my college classes in the fall. This whole process was something almost unheard of pre-COVID.
To note, on the supposed day of convocation, I had this built up hope and optimism that I will receive some closure of some sort. Instead, I ended that specific day with a horrible anxiety attack that lasted fourteen days and ultimately led me to a place of anger.
“Looking back now, my feelings of anxiety and anger were all valid but also very unproductive, and came from a place of privilege.”
I kept thinking, “This was the moment I had waited for.” I even heard a sad trombone in my head and that I had received my diploma from a box on a fold-out table and was then ushered to a crowd of people waiting to have their pictures taken. Looking back now, my feelings of anxiety and anger were all valid but also very unproductive, and came from a place of privilege. I’m grateful that my family and I have had no direct impact, financially and physically, from this horrible virus. All that mattered to me was that we were in good health.
Though I might have not gotten to experience my dream of walking across that graduation stage, I left this challenging situation with a lesson, and that is to never take anything for granted. And that we never really know what the future holds. To all of the high school seniors who have missed this milestone this year, remember that your grief should not be frozen in time, we, as young people, must continue to persevere and cherish our own growth, even without the notable tradition of recognition.
I believe everything we do in our actions going forward needs to be in the best interest of the greater good. How can you continue to not wear a mask when everyone has sacrificed so much? Americans and people elsewhere all have experienced great loss in several different ways because of the selfishness of one person. That’s all it takes. The sooner we learn to treasure what we do have and the value of others, the sooner we will have a new “normal”, hopefully, a reality where no one ever has to miss out on their milestones.
