CLARKSTON, Ga.—Georgia State University Perimeter College’s Class of 2020 will not be celebrating graduation with a traditional May commencement, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be memorable, say graduation candidates.
“This is going to be a year for the books,” said Keianna Moyer, a Perimeter biology student and member of DeKalb Early College Academy (DECA) who is graduating this month. “For all the years of history, when we talk to our children, we can say, ‘I was graduating (during a pandemic) when all this was happening.’ I believe it’s worth not being able to walk across the stage. I feel good I am keeping someone else alive by staying at home, and my sacrifice is not in vain.”
Traditional commencement activities, normally scheduled during early May, were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted social distancing restrictions to minimize the spread of the virus. Similar decisions have been made across the country and around the world to safeguard public health.
Though no in-person gathering is planned, Georgia State is inviting graduation candidates and their friends and family to join online at noon, Wednesday, May 6, for a virtual celebration of Georgia State’s latest graduating class, including a special address from President Mark Becker.
Degrees will be conferred after graduates complete their requirements. When the university receives a green light to gather again, it will host a formal commencement, during which students can cross the stage, with family and friends cheering from their seats.
“This semester’s graduation will not be marked in person due to the pandemic’s impact on our community and lives,” said Dr. Nancy Kropf, Perimeter College dean. “But we’re extremely proud of all our graduates who have worked so hard to get to this point. We recognize and celebrate their achievements.”
“The accomplishments of this semester’s graduates are important,” Kropf said, “and the members of the Class of 2020 also have faced the added challenge of adapting and finishing their associate degrees in a new learning environment. I congratulate all our students for their work and perseverance and wish them the best as they move on to the next phase of their lives and education.”
The Class of 2020 for the spring and summer semesters represents 2,185 students, ranging from age 16 to 71. Among the graduates are:
- Moyer, a Georgia State Presidential scholar and the class valedictorian of 52 DECA students, all of whom will receive their associate degrees before they receive their high school diplomas.
- Diana Ha, one of Perimeter’s two 2020 winners of the Jack Kent Cooke (JKC) Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. Ha, who is studying biology, plans to transition to the Atlanta Campus in the fall, joining fellow JKC scholar Matthew Wessler, who graduated from Perimeter College in December.
- Twenty-four students who form the second graduating cohort of State Farm Scholars, the Decatur Campus student success initiative funded through a $14.5 million gift from State Farm Insurance Corp. The program helps DeKalb County students from every background stay on track for graduation.
- The first class of Onward Academy students at Columbia High School, nine high school students who will receive their associate degrees. Onward Academy is a Georgia State student success initiative based at Columbia and Southwest DeKalb high schools.
- Ana Rodriguez-Garcia and Betzahida Escalante, two of several Latino Leadership Pipeline scholars graduating from Perimeter in 2020. The student success program is aimed at increasing the number of students of Hispanic or Latino heritage graduating from Georgia State. The scholarship provides students such as Rodriguez-Garcia and Escalante with financial assistance, mentors, internships and volunteer opportunities.
Many students are postponing their personal celebrations for another time.
Moyer hopes to have a graduation party (at which everyone wears white) at the end of the summer, if social distancing guidelines allow. And there’s a possible trip to Aruba, once international travel is back up and running. Both plans are “contingent on the pandemic and how the next few months look,” she said.
Bilqis Seddiqi, a 20-year-old computer science student, plans to wait another two years to celebrate when she receives her bachelor’s degree from Georgia State.
The unusual circumstances of this graduation made some graduation candidates reflective.
At 16, David Gaines, a biology student who plans to be a neurosurgeon and an attorney, said the college’s transition to online instruction to accommodate social distancing during the pandemic helped him mentally prepare for his future.
Gaines, who will be the youngest Perimeter graduate to receive his associate degree this spring, started on the Dunwoody Campus when he was 14 after graduating from high school at 13.
“Honestly, this has prepared me for the unexpected events that can occur as a medical student and future physician,” he said. “But more importantly, my professors have made this transition during COVID a seamless transition, which helped me to be able to sustain my focus on preparing for the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) while finishing up the semester without unexpected stress.”
Gaines, who already has completed most of his junior year requirements, looks forward to finishing his bachelor of science degree in biology and microbiology in 2021 on Georgia State’s Atlanta Campus. He wants to eventually attend a six-year medical doctor/juris doctor program.
Seddiqi took a year off in 2018 to figure out what she wanted to do with her education. The student, who hopes to become a data scientist one day, doesn’t regret her decision, even though it pushed her graduation date to this spring.
“Graduating during this time is heartbreaking since we will not be able to participate in the ceremony we were all looking forward to,” she said. “But being part of the Class of 2020 during the pandemic doesn’t put down our accomplishment, but rather embraces it. There isn’t anyone who can take your achievements away from you. I think there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.”
Photo: Perimeter College graduation candidates who will be celebrating virtually include: (top, from left) Latino Leadership Pipeline scholars Ana Rodriguez-Garcia and Betzahida Escalante and computer science student Bilqis Seddiqi; (bottom, from left) engineering student Andrea Green, Perimeter's Class of 2020 youngest graduate David Gaines and DECA grad Keianna Moyer.