Montclair State University: Carpe Futurum | Montclair, NJ Patch – Patch.com
Carpe Futurum
University celebrates the Class of 2020 with 23 smaller, in-person outdoor Commencement ceremonies
Montclair State University graduates will celebrate a delayed but much anticipated Commencement over 23 small, separate, in-person ceremonies – replete with proper safety measures – starting Saturday, July 18 on Sprague Field on the University campus.
“I really appreciate the fact that Montclair is giving us the opportunity to have an in-person ceremony. Although it’ll be a little different than we pictured, I’m excited to walk with my friends,” says Stephanie Pitera who has earned her master’s in Public and Organizational Relations from the College of the Arts. “I think it was a really great idea to have a week of ceremonies – this way we can celebrate and stay safe at the same time.”
Before, during and after each ceremony, the University will observe state and federal safety guidelines. Safety measures include mandatory social distancing and the wearing of face coverings – to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread as much as possible.
Faculty and students are not required to attend and each of the ceremonies will be live streamed so those who cannot attend can watch remotely. Some of the University’s schools and colleges held virtual graduation celebrations in May when 4,380 degrees were conferred.
The 23 outdoor commencement ceremonies on Sprague Field were made possible once New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy raised the limit on outdoor events to 500 people. They are scheduled from July 18-23, with rain dates of July 24-28. The celebrations will be relatively short (approximately 50 minutes) and are scheduled for 9 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m, allowing time for spray sanitation of the stadium between ceremonies.
While not all graduates chose to attend the ceremony, those who will attend are enthusiastic and thankful for the opportunity to celebrate.
Due to the mandatory quarantine for travelers, Coldin Grundmeyer’s parents from New Orleans won’t be able to make the ceremony, but Grundmeyer says he wouldn’t miss it for the world: “I feel like it’s a memory you can’t really replace. Even during these crazy times I feel that it’ll be very special to see all of my friends and people I saw in the halls all those years to receive the recognition they all deserve.”
Grundmeyer, who earned a BFA in Acting and Musical Theatre, will stay in the New York City area to pursue his acting career while also attending Georgetown University for a master’s in Sports Management.
JoAnn Vespucci has waited more than 20 years to celebrate this moment. After transferring to Montclair State as an undeclared student in 1996, she’s taken one class at a time to fit her schedule and budget.
After taking some psychology classes, Vespucci knew she found her calling.
“I have a twin sister who began to suffer depression at the age of 16. Early in her adult life she was diagnosed with clinical depression, and it has been a difficult road for her on and off. All I wanted to do was understand. I hated to see her struggling just to smile,” Vespucci says. “As time went on and the more psychology classes I took, I learned and I began to understand more.”
Vespucci’s twin sister will be in the bleachers, cheering her on as she accepts her bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
If no one has taken longer than Vespucci, no one has traveled farther than Fatimata Diabate, who has earned her bachelor’s in Public Health. A West African immigrant who came to the United States as a child, Diabate was first rejected by Montclair State but called to ask what she could do to make herself a better candidate. Her persistence landed her a spot in the Educational Opportunity Fund program – as the first member of her family to step foot on a college campus.
Now Diabate will be a student speaker at the three ceremonies for the College of Education and Human Services.
“As I reflect on my college experience, I think of the phrase, ‘it takes a village to raise a child,'” says Diabate. “For, when I first came to the College of Education and Human Services, I was indeed a child, without a clue, lacking important academic skills. And now, as I leave, I am a young woman who, with the help of professors, advisors, deans, fellow students, and so many others – and a lot of hard work – has found her voice, has learned to trust her thoughts, and has a lot to say.”
Former Student Government Association President Jherel Saunders-Dittimus will also be attending one of the four College of the Arts ceremonies, and sitting on the platform with the president, provost, dean and faculty.
“I chose to do the in-person ceremony because I will never be able to experience it again – well, at least for undergrad. Personally it was a huge milestone for myself and even though the pandemic ruined my last year, I would like to feel celebrated. My mother and my father are my two guests. This means a lot to them because I am the only child and I am also a first generation college student.”
By overcoming all of the challenges posed by the pandemic, Saunders-Dittimus, who earned a BA in Communication Studies, says he believes his fellow graduates are well prepared for what comes next and that people will know it.
“Oh, you graduated from that class. I’m hiring you.”
This press release was produced by Montclair State University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.