A Toast to the Class of 2020

I have always tried to glean some silver lining out of hardship, but it seems facetious to do so when the world is still very much in the thick of these trying times. That said, I think we can all agree that this semester has ended with the gravitas of a deflating balloon (from the graduation parties that we probably won’t get to have). The situation is not ideal for anyone, but it certainly stings for the graduating seniors who were robbed of their final months of college and all the festivities that come along with such a major milestone.

So to the Class of 2020, on the week of what should have been our graduation, I hope that you know it is okay to not be okay. Let yourself be sad or angry or frustrated. These circumstances are unfair, and you deserve better. But just because we won’t have the traditional May send-off, it does not render the rest of our time at Arcadia obsolete. Your hard work, achievements, and memories forged over these past years will always be yours. They’ll carry you into this next chapter of your life. No pandemic can take that away.

Know that you persevered in unimaginable circumstances. Mourn what you lost, but do not let it eclipse the celebration you deserve.