Pandemic graduates return to UAA for a reunion commencement.

On April 29, 2022, students who were denied an in-person commencement ceremony as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic will return to campus for a special reunion commencement. 

Jessica Reisinger, commencement speaker for the Spring 2021 class, spoke about her experience with the original online commencement ceremony as well as her feelings about returning to celebrate graduation again, a whole year later. 

Reisinger described her original commencement ceremony as “anticlimactic,” describing how, as a first-generation college student, graduation meant a lot to her and her family. “To get to the end and kind of just have it be over was kind of a letdown to be honest… it felt like my college experience never really ended, it just kind of stopped.” 

The news of a reunion commencement went out in an email to eligible students in late March. Reisinger says she was immediately very excited. In talking to friends and peers, Reisinger said some people are excited about the opportunity, some have mixed feelings, and others think that it’s “dumb.”

As Commencement Speaker, Reisinger pre-recorded a speech for her original ceremony, which was included as part of the stream. All of the commencement speakers who are returning for the reunion ceremony collaborated to figure out how to each recognize their own accomplishments without resulting in a nearly hour long block of speeches. They settled on each delivering short remarks focused on what happened post-graduation. 

Reisinger is still present on campus, taking medical school courses.

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