Santa Clara University Class of 2021 Delights in Blended Celebration After Year of Uncertainty
12 Junio 2021 - 3:00PM
Business Wire
Santa Clara University honored its undergraduate Class of 2021
with an in-person celebration and a virtual commencement ceremony
over two days this weekend.
The two-pronged celebration was far different from years past,
as degrees were conferred in a virtual event Saturday, after a
festive and celebratory in-person procession through campus on
Friday. About 1,228 of this year’s 1,468 undergraduate students
attended the in-person event, walking the mile-long route wearing
graduation robes and mortarboard caps, as well as face coverings.
In three separate time frames to allow for social distancing, the
graduates each crossed a stage assembled in the Mission Gardens to
receive their diploma covers, as their guests—limited to two per
student—looked on proudly.
During Saturday’s virtual commencement, the University’s Chamber
Singers and choir alumni sang the “Alma Mater,” select students
received prestigious class awards, and degrees were conferred upon
the graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences, Leavey School of
Business, and School of Engineering.
“We are extremely proud of the Class of 2021 for its incredible
achievements,” said Acting President Lisa Kloppenberg in her
virtual address. “From the moment these students joined our
community, they have impressed the faculty and staff with their
energy and passion, their drive to find their vocation, their
creative pursuits, and ways to make a difference.”
Santa Clara University Women’s Soccer Head Coach Jerry Smith addressed the Class of 2021
during the virtual commencement, a fitting choice following the
team's recent NCAA championship win. In the wake of a tumultuous
year, their victory infused campus with a renewed sense of optimism
and energy, which Smith touched upon in his speech.
“Much of our experience in this past year has parallels to the
real world you will join as you leave Santa Clara,” said Smith. “We
all know from this past year, the one constant in life is change.
Be ready for uncertainty. Think outside the box, be resourceful,
collaborate, and be part of the solution. Continue to rely on your
strength of character and your foundation of Jesuit education from
Santa Clara University.”
This year’s graduates hailed from 41 states and 12 countries.
Valedictorian Haley Howard, a political science and ethnic
studies double major from San Ramon, California, gave a virtual
address to her classmates in which she encouraged them to forge
ahead with a spirit of “radical hope.”
“Radical hope is resilient, and we are already very familiar
with resilience ourselves,” said Howard. “We as students have
already faced what once seemed impossible throughout the COVID-19
pandemic. We have had to learn how to channel our righteous anger
into productive change so that we could leave this institution
better than it was when we arrived four years ago.”
This year’s in-person celebration was optional, and the events
were livestreamed for those who were unable to attend.
Graduate School In-Person Celebrations
On the evening of Friday, June 11, members from the Class of
2020 and 2021 of the University’s graduate programs were invited to
attend socially distanced in-person events. Each graduate was
permitted two guests for the conferral of degrees. The School of
Education and Counseling Psychology, the School of Engineering, and
the Leavey School of Business each held separate ceremonies that
also were livestreamed for those who were unable to attend. The
School of Law and the Jesuit School of Theology, both semester
schools, held their commencement events in late May.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210612005014/en/
Deepa Arora | SCU Communications | 408-420-8127
Elliot Zanger | SCU Communications | ezanger@scu.edu