For seniors in high schools and colleges across the nation, the loss of graduation has been difficult. For first-generation students in particular, the loss of this particular right of passage hits somewhere even deeper. 

For many first-generation students, being the first in their family to earn a degree is a source of pride – one that has taken a hit as more graduation ceremonies have been cancelled, stripping them of their chance to walk across a stage. Student Michael Brown in a recent article for YR Media described the disappointment first-gen graduates are feeling, stating, “And now that you’ve reached the finish line, you won’t get the opportunity to walk the stage and for them to see you walk the stage. It’s been a hard reality check that I won’t get the opportunity and be the first to do it in my family.”

This pain can be felt for high school seniors as well, who are missing out on traditional senior-year activities such as prom, graduation, and grad night celebrations. The situation has left students feeling in limbo, not exactly knowing what comes next.

This disappointment has given way to a movement to postpone graduation ceremonies, rather than cancelling them all-together, thus giving students the all-too-important chance to complete this particular right of passage. Students at UCLA tackled this issue head-on when the school initially announced its plans to hold a virtual graduation ceremony instead of postponing a physical ceremony. The upset from the student body resulted in the University apologizing and beginning to survey the senior class to come up with a better-fitting solution. 

Though students have become more understanding of the situation at hand as the pandemic has progressed, that doesn’t make up for the lack of a ceremony. As the situation unfolds, students are expected to continue to campaign for traditional ceremonies as soon as it is safe to do so.

Read the full article here.