Face-to-face graduation: Cebu students excited over upcoming event

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CEBU CITY, Philippines — Graduation this year will be even more exciting as face-to-face graduation makes a comeback after a two-year pause after the easing of restrictions with COVID cases going down.

Some graduating students in Cebu shared with CDN Digital something that they looked forward to in their would-be face-to-face graduation rites next month.

As pandemic-induced restrictions have loosened up corresponding to the improving COVID case tally in Cebu, some Cebu schools and universities have already expressed their intention to hold limited face-to-face graduation rites for their students.

Physical graduation, along with face-to-face classes were among the things that were put on hold for the past two years to ensure adherence to the imposed health protocols amid a pandemic.

That is why for Kimberly Albelda, a graduating junior high school student in Gothong National High School, being able to have physical graduation, though limited, is something she looks forward to.

“The most excited part is magkareunite nami sa akong mga classmates and teachers kay two years nami sa online ra and last year na sad ni namo classmates since iyahay nami’g pili sa SHS (senior high school) strands,” she said.

(The most exciting part is I can reunite with my classmates and teachers because it had been two years that we can see each other online only and this is the last year that we can be classmates because each of us will now choose our SHS (senior high school) strands.)

Likewise, for Aliah Mie Medilo, a graduating Management Accounting student at the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJR), said she looked forward to personally witnessing the motivational speech that would be given on their graduation.

“Pandemic has stolen our momentum to enjoy our college life; our batch has faced numerous challenges, particularly in terms of mental health, and I am grateful that my school considered face-to-face graduation,” she said.

USJR is one of the first universities in Cebu City to announce that it will have a limited physical graduation ceremony this year.

Medilo said she looked forward to this year’s graduation because she anticipated seeing, and perhaps hugging and taking pictures with her college friends again, including Zeph, who requested to use an alias during an online interview with CDN Digital.

Zeph, for her part, said the development was very much welcomed especially that she and her batchmates had missed so many college events and memories because of the pandemic.

“Having a face-to-face graduation makes me feel like we were back at being first years again, meeting friends for the first time after 2 yrs… And together, greeting them on our graduation day, congratulations, for being strong and for not giving up despite those challenges that we’ve been through (k-12, pandemic, online classes, and experiencing 2 typhoons),” she said.

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