BY: Caitlin Gallagher
My first semester here at AUM was Spring 2012. I bought a new backpack, all new supplies, and a laptop. I was so excited to do this—get my degree and get a kickass job afterward. Seven and a half years later, and I’m finally getting my degree, but it’s not how I pictured it.
The worldwide pandemic of COVID 19 has left some of us, especially graduating seniors, feeling a little low. Athletes didn’t know their last game would be their last game. Panhellenic members didn’t know their last social would be their last social. I didn’t know that what I’ve worked towards for seven and a half years would be pushed back for another three months. I know– I’ll still get my degree at the end of the semester but it sure doesn’t feel that way. COVID 19 has left the world little to look forward to. Wedding plans are being put on hold, events are canceled, and for those looking to enter the workforce, companies are temporarily closing. What else could go wrong? Here’s one: graduation being pushed until August.
I choose to focus on everything going right instead and give everyone some hope and light in this dark time. We are still getting our degrees– graduation doesn’t define your achievements, and you can still celebrate. We still have our families and each other to get us through these trying times. It might not seem fair that our last semester here has been taken from us, but at least we still get to take our classes and get our credits. We should not let this virus and everything it has done to the world hinder us from doing our best and persevering while we are still able to do so. If you are healthy and your family is healthy, celebrate that! If you still have a job when other people’s careers are still uncertain, celebrate that! If you are doing better than you thought you would during this transition to online classes, celebrate that!
We will still get our celebration for achieving what others never will. No one or anything can take your degree from you, and that is worth celebrating everyday, not just on May 9th. So here’s to us, the seniors who are fighting through the coronavirus, who had to adjust their future plans, and who have finally earned their degree, no matter how long it took them. I am so proud to be graduating with you!