DUBLIN — Graduates were joined by spouses, parents and siblings.
Photographs and video clips saved the special moment in time. Those being celebrated heard their name announced before the president posed with them for a congratulatory handshake snapshot and presentation of diploma.
Friday night was, by most accounts, almost like before.
A second year of staging commencement at Bladen Community College during the coronavirus pandemic was injected with energy in a new way to celebrate. The Class of 2021 ceremony was virtual as was last year, but this time there was a gathering on campus spread over acres and attracting a few hundred in the two hours prior to a taped ceremony.
College organizers utilized Lamm Corporate Events from Clayton to provide an array of attractions for all ages. There was festival type food; a band; booths or stations set up for children to decorate mortarboards, for grads to get photos, and for college organizations to connect; and plenty of fellowship among friends.
Dr. Amanda Lee, president of the college now in her third year, welcomed an estimated 200 grads to stop by the front of the Findt Workforce Development Building, have their name called, and get a photo taken receiving their diploma from the campus leader. She later welcomed everyone for the virtual ceremony viewing party between the Findt, King and Three buildings.
Chad Porter, accomplished motivational speaker and best-selling author, was guest speaker for commencement and on campus to meet the graduates and sign his book, “Severed Dreams.”
Young or old, graduate or guest, they all praised the first-time style of event.
“It’s great,” Dublin’s Berenice Vasquez said as her children, 4-year-old Isaias Sandoval and 5-year-old Belen Sandoval, did decorative mortarboard work near the Page Student Resources Center with Vasquez’s sisters — 5-year-old Anna and 10-year-old Janet. “There’s food for everyone. It’s better when it’s outdoors.”
The 2017 West Bladen High graduate from Dublin clutched her reward for college studies in medical office administration and described a year in pandemic studies.
“It’s not that hard,” she said. “It’s about having fun, setting a time to do your work.
“And,” she said of remote learning through the internet, “the teachers do so well.”
It was among if not the very first public event in Bladen County to go forward since Gov. Roy Cooper earlier in the day lifted the face covering requirement and capacity restrictions. Some still wore masks, but most did not.
Smiles were abundant, and appreciatively no longer hidden.
“It’s amazing,” Clarkton’s Ashley Norris said after a photograph with Lee. The South Rowan High graduate held in her hand degrees for her studies in cosmetology, general education and occupational technology. They’ll go with her criminal justice degree she earned earlier.
She complimented the college on its organization of the evening. Before the change in executive orders from Cooper on Friday, the college plan took into account social distance measures and other health safety protocols.
Crowds still didn’t get too tight. And the spread of attractions seemed natural rather than an adherance to Raleigh rules.
Any semblance of tension just wasn’t evident.
“I could not be more excited for our graduates and their families,” Lee said as the crowds dispersed into a cool evening just after 9. “I’m thrilled that this worked. I’ve encouraged our staff to look at what we’re doing during the pandemic, so that we might take some elements and combine that with the tradition of our graduation ceremony.”
No, they didn’t go onto a stage as is routine. The auditorium sat empty and silent, once a focal point but on this night a bystander.
Yes, graduates were celebrated, “Pomp and Circumstance” played on, and degrees were formally conferred. Families captured special moments, new memories were created, and a good bit of fun was there for all.
Friday night was, by most accounts, almost like before.
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