MSU Denver’s graduating class of 2021 took a step towards normalcy with a large in-person event the first week of May.
Although MSU Denver’s Paint the Town Red event looked different than it did pre-pandemic, graduates were excited to return to some semblance of normal with the large in-person event.
If graduating in the midst of a pandemic wasn’t difficult enough, those who were set to graduate Monday were rescheduled to Wednesday due to weather concerns, but the ceremony continued the next day. Despite the added weather struggle, graduates and university officials didn’t let the rain dampen their mood and remained excited to celebrate.
Graduates attended the event at the Regency Athletic Complex south of Colfax Avenue where things looked different than typical graduation. For many graduates, it was their first large event since the coronavirus pandemic began in 2020.
“It feels good to be back on campus and to see things opening up a little bit,” said Joe Dietz, who is graduating with his business degree. “The fact that we live in a time that technology allows us to do things like this is amazing.”
Now that he has his degree, Dietz will continue his work with the group “Fishing the Good Fight”, a nonprofit which aims to improve all lives by serving men with mental illnesses through fly fishing.
“I’m still processing my feelings about graduation– it’s been a lot of hard work,” he said.
For many graduates, the past year has been difficult due to the pandemic. One such graduate is Jamonica Stanley, who now holds her degree in business and accounting.
“My mother passed away in the middle of all of this and the fact that she’s not here is a little disheartening,” she said. “But it’s such a testament to trying to persevere because this is what she wanted more than anything.”
Now that she has her degree, Stanley will be dedicating her time to work and ensuring her daughter has everything she needs to move on to the next stage in her life.
Raul Rodgriguez, who graduated with a degree in global business studies with a minor in urban agriculture, found that the pandemic allowed him to be more focused on school.
“This year has been different but it enabled me to focus a little more on my studies. I’ve really missed interacting with people but I think it’s been the best we could make it,” he said.
“I feel great about graduating, it’s really wonderful,” Rodriguez said.
One graduate, Matthew Rose, even found the adjusted Paint the Town Red to be preferable to standard graduation.
“I like this better than a normal graduation, there’s a lot less people and a lot less pressure. It’s really nice,” he said.
Rose earned his degree in marketing with a sales certificate and has a job lined up at a local repair and mechanical company.
At the ceremony, each graduate was able to bring two guests to walk the field with them, shake hands with the university administration and then continue on. It was an intimate celebration compared to typical graduation, but an exciting celebration nonetheless.
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