THE LANTERN
C OM M E N O I T NCEMENT EDI Ohio State seniors have mixed feelings about in-person commencement SOPHIA TOBIAS | FOR THE LANTERN
JESSICA LANGER Lantern Reporter langer.42@osu.edu Many Ohio State seniors missed out on Buckeye traditions this past school year — such as in-person football games in the Shoe and going out with friends — due to COVID-19, such as inperson football games in the shoe to going out with friends — but graduation won’t be one of them. Some seniors said they feel grateful to have this memory of a graduation experience intact, whereas others said they believe an in-person ceremony is a consolation prize after already
losing much of their senior year. Shelly Douglas, a fourth-year in environmental policy and decision making, said she was not expecting the commencement to be in-person, but is glad that it is so her parents can sit and experience the event with her. She feels the ceremony is just as much for the parents as it is for the students. “This is really an opportunity for our parents to see us in our element,” Douglas said. “They get to see us be acknowledged for our hard work, and I think that’s really special especially for parents who have been there for their child as they go through
school and supported them. It might feel like a little like an accomplishment for them too.” Douglas said she feels her parents don’t get to interact with her friends, so when they come for graduation, she and her roommates are planning to go to dinner with their families and show them around campus. She said showing them important places of her day-to-day life — such as classroom buildings — will help them see how much she’s grown throughout her years at Ohio State. “When you come to college, you become your own individual person, so it’s kind of like getting
to share a piece of you and your favorite things with them,” Douglas said. “It’s pretty special because they’ve seen how far we’ve come, and it’s just a proud moment for them.” Since she didn’t get to spend a lot of time on campus this past year, Douglas said she is also excited to take pictures in front of University Hall and on the Oval with her friends to commemorate the places where her college experience started and where she met her friends. “This is where I met my friends for the first time on the Oval and now this is where we are taking our graduation pictures. It comes
full circle,” Douglas said. Even though COVID-19 is still present, Douglas said she is not concerned about her family catching the virus because both her parents will be fully vaccinated by the time of commencement, and she trusts the university to organize large events well enough to prevent the spread of the virus. Jordan Shapiro, a fourth-year in actuarial science, said this year was not what he expected. With most events being held online and less people in attendance of others, he had a hard time interacting with other students and attending activities for Ohio State University Hillel and the
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