This year’s commencement programs — all five of them! — were unlike anything Wagner College had ever experienced in all of its 138 years of existence
These on–campus celebrations represented a huge step toward our return to something like normal after living and working for 14 months under the strictures of New York’s Covid mitigation regime.
By the time this spring arrived, the state had relaxed its pandemic rules enough that we could plan individual graduation events for 150 students each and allow them to invite two guests apiece.
That meant we would have to stage three separate events for this year’s graduating class — and two more for the Class of 2020, whose commencement exercise had been suspended entirely during the Covid lockdown.
In a normal year, commencement is the biggest event on the calendar — and this year, we had to do it five times!
But it was more than worth it to hear those student speakers, so hopeful for the future … and to see all those hundreds of proud Wagner graduates marching across the stage … and to watch as parents, siblings, spouses and friends cheered on their graduates, celebrating their achievements … at last!
We will remember the classes of 2020 and 2021 forever.
Watch all five student speakers, one from each ceremony, at facebook.com/wagnercollege/videos
