Four years after the COVID-19 shutdown that either modified, postponed or canceled high school graduations around the world, the Vassar Class of 2024 will walk Graduation Hill on Sunday, May 19. About 590 Vassar students will graduate, with about 3,200 guests in attendance.
“The Commencement for the Class of 2024 is particularly significant as it represents not just the culmination of their college education but also a return to cherished traditions that were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” wrote Associate Dean of the College Luis Inoa in an email correspondence. “Many of these students missed critical educational milestones like high school graduations and traditional college orientations.”
“[My high school graduation] was a Youtube video that had our yearbook photos in a slideshow. I was in my living room, on my couch, just with my parents,” said Phoebe DiLeo ’24, in an interview.
“I’m excited to have a bigger celebration,” said Kyra Hoffman ’24, who had a 15-minute in-person high school graduation, in which her class was divided into 20 alphabetical groupings based on last name. Markus Skelton ’24 agreed: “I think [Commencement] will be a good capstone to the time at Vassar.”
Aidan Chismore ’24 said: “You could get away with not calling [my high school graduation] a graduation…We didn’t get a diploma or anything, they just had us walk across the stage to video us, and then I left. That was kind of sad.” However, he added, he does not want COVID-19 to eclipse Vassar Commencement: “It’s something people always want to talk about, in connection to us, and I kind of hate it. Like, I just want to not ‘be Covid.’ I spent three years here that were not Covid-based.”
Additionally, Vassar’s 2024 Commencement stands out amidst continuing pro-Palestine demonstrations at academic institutions across the country; at UC Berkeley, hundreds of graduates chanted over speeches, while Columbia University and the University of Southern California canceled their ceremonies altogether.
“Some of the national context makes it a significant Commencement, in terms of campus climate,” said Dean Inoa in an interview. He elaborated in an email correspondence: “This year’s ceremony offers a vital opportunity for joy and celebration, acknowledging their achievements against a backdrop of both national and global challenges. It is a chance to celebrate resilience and success amidst ongoing adversities, providing a moment of communal joy and personal triumph for students and their families.”
The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. British actress and filmmaker Emily Mortimer will speak at Commencement. “I’m excited because it’s a name I know. I loved the Steve Martin Pink Panther movies when I was a kid,” said Skelton.
The 160th Commencement follows “Senior Week,” a time where the senior class spend their last moments amongst friends and housemates. Organized by the Senior Class Council, the week is jam-packed with activities and traditions such as Formal at The Grandview, a celebration in the Susan Stein Shiva Theater, the senior streak, brunch at Savona’s Trattoria, a wine tasting in the Old Bookstore and class-wide laser tag.
For DiLeo, Senior Week has been extremely meaningful: “More than the graduation ceremony are all the senior events that I didn’t have in high school. All the senior traditions that are really more memory-making opportunities, and getting the closure.”
Hoffman, Skelton and Chismore all said that Formal, in particular, is an end-of-college highlight. Chismore also mentioned he was disappointed that some of the events from past years’ Senior Week, such as the 2023 Booze Cruise, were not on the schedule.
Reflecting on graduation, students expressed a combination of sadness and enthusiasm. “I’m going to feel sorry to leave Vassar. Over time, it’s gotten more fun, being here, so it feels like I could go for another year,” said Skelton. “But I think I am ready for everything next, the worklife.”
“I definitely feel sad, but I do feel ready,” echoed Hoffman.