Column: How COVID-19 impacts USC Aiken's graduating seniors

In June 2013 I was the final graduate of over 300 at South Aiken High School’s senior commencement. My family joked that I got more applause than anyone else, though I will always remember it as the longest wait of my life.

My last name has since changed—from a ‘Y’ to an ‘M’—and this year I would have been smack in the middle of USC Aiken’s spring 2020 commencement.

Unfortunately for me and hundreds of other graduates, the dream has been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic that has rapidly swept across the planet.

Since graduation is almost certainly going to be postponed — gatherings of 50 or more have been banned in South Carolina — we will not be having our commencement in May.

Chancellor Jordan emailed the student body last week to announce that classes and activities will be remote for the rest of the semester. She addressed the senior class and noted that the university’s leadership are discussing “delayed or non-traditional commencement [ceremonies].”

“We want to recognize your hard work appropriately, even if social distancing requirements are still in place in May,” wrote Jordan.

Fortunately, classes are continuing remotely, which means that I will be able to finish my degree on time.

While I am thrilled to be receiving my degree in May, commencement and a graduation party were things I was looking forward to.

I won’t be able to celebrate my achievements with my family and friends, though that is what I and the other graduates deserve.

In 2013, after graduating from South Aiken High in June, I started at USCA in August. My first declared major was communication with a minor in music, though I would transition to a fine arts (music) major in my second semester.

Since that year I have changed my major six times, dropped out of college for two years and managed to return, let my GPA drop and then worked to bring it up, fell in love with journalism and learned more about myself than I could possibly have imagined.

Celebrating my degree isn’t just about recognizing the academic work I did. The last seven years have been about so much more than academia for me. I have grown immensely and became a person that I know my 19-year-old self would admire greatly.

So many people on social media have written posts that claim the quarantine isn’t a big deal and people just need to adjust.

“It’s not a big deal,” wrote one Facebook friend.

It is a big deal. It’s a big deal to all seniors. It’s especially a big deal to non-traditional students like me who have had a more unorthodox experience.

I don’t know what kind of non-traditional ceremony the university leadership will come up with, but all I can say is I am praying desperately that I will get to have a real commencement and graduation party.

I deserve it. We deserve it.