Fewer than 9% of UW-Milwaukee students who had a virtual graduation in 2020 or spring of 2021 attended the in-person recognition ceremony on Sunday, April 10 at the Panther Arena.
The ceremony, which was open to all virtual graduates and their families, had fewer than 700 participants out of 8,000 students. Around 1,000 were unable to be reached directly, according to UWM Special Events Director Lynn Wilk.
UWM Chancellor Mark Mone led the ceremony with speeches by Regent Corey Saffold, Alumni Board Member Todd Brennan and Vice Chancellor of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion & Professor Chia Vang.
“When you began your educational journey at UWM you expected that when you earned your degree you would be honored by walking on this stage,” said Vang. “You did not anticipate that it would be deferred until today.”
Several graduates cited that exact deferment as the reason they decided not to attend the recognition ceremony. Abby Lynch, who graduated in December of 2020 with a BA in Urban Studies and Sociology, registered to go to the cermony. At the last minute she decided not to attend.
“I tried on my graduation gown and my regalia last week and honestly just broke down crying because I was sad I missed it the first time,” said Lynch. “I knew in my heart that walking across the stage now, 1.5 years later, would make me even more sad than not going at all.”
Of those who were close to graduation when lockdown started in March of 2020, several felt as if they had to just muster through the rest of their classes to try to stay afloat. Reliving the trauma of the pandemic and the memory of ending their collegiate careers isolated in their homes was enough to keep students away from the celebratory event.
“Covid-19 took a toll on my mental health to the point of developing alopecia,” said Jose De La O Arechiga, class of 2020.
According to a study shared by the National Library of Medicine, 71% of the students they surveyed indicated increased stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 outbreak. These included fear and worry about their own health and of their loved ones (91%), difficulty in concentrating (89%), disruptions to sleeping patterns (86%), decreased social interactions due to physical distancing (86%), and increased concerns on academic performance (82%).
“I remember moving virtual was very chaotic,” said Lynch. “I was originally a little worried because I was struggling already with some of the content and didn’t want being virtual to make things worse.”
De La O Archiga, who decided not to attend the in-person recognition ceremony, felt as though he already missed out on the momentous experience.
“I was a first-generation college student who worked hard to get to college and make my dad proud,” said De La O Archiga. “This was a very important event in my life that was taken away.”
Despite the event taking place many months after their actual graduation, those who attended were met with a proper ceremonial experience. UWM leadership, staff and faculty donned their ceremonial garb, some with the addition of face masks and others without. The processional was backed by the traditional tune “Pomp and Circumstance.” Peck School of the Arts student Adlai Kim sang an incredible version of the National Anthem. All of the pieces of a traditional ceremony were in place.
Katie Turyna, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English in May of 2020, felt like the struggle of graduating amidst a new pandemic was finally being recognized– and celebrated.
“It was truly amazing and felt so surreal,” said Turyna of the recognition ceremony. “It felt not just like a long-overdue graduation ceremony, but like I made it through. Being recognized for not only finishing school but also for persevering and succeeding through hard times was truly incredible.”
Vice Chancellor of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion & Professor Chia Vang gave a moving speech that reminded students of the power it takes to overcome adversity.
“May you not be defined by the last two years of deep divisions and a raging pandemic,” said Vang. “Instead may you have the wisdom to use what you experienced to stay hopeful, and to do things that may not yet be possible to imagine. Please expand your horizon, search far and wide, but in the end remember that the answer to your life questions are in the palm of your hand.”
Turyna and the several hundred other graduates who were formally recognized during Sunday’s ceremony are finally getting some well deserved closure.
“I realized that my time in school wasn’t just about getting to graduation,” said Turyna. “It was about starting my life. It was about finishing one chapter and beginning another, and that’s what I did.”