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Graduation ceremonies for the class of 2020 are evolving in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Some commencement speeches honoring high school and college graduates — such as the ones former President Barack Obama gave to students departing the country’s historically black colleges and universities as well as to high schoolers nationwide — are being streamed.
Other celebrations, including a few in the Bay Area, are going mobile: The Contra Costa Health Services recently approved a drive-through parade in Concord for Carondelet High School’s seniors. In the South Bay, Santa Clara County officials reversed course to allow drive-through graduations and celebrations after banning them two weeks earlier.
Students graduating from UC Berkeley, which canceled its in-person commencement ceremony, took matters into their own hands: A group recreated the entire campus in the popular online game Minecraft and held a ceremony with the university’s blessing. Twitch co-founder Justin Kan and Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan spoke to grads donning virtual caps and gowns in-game, as well as family and friends who were allowed to log in to listen. UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ and Vice Chancellor Marc Fisher also participated in the proceedings at the so-called Blockeley University, which were broadcast via Twitch.
Some students gathered in-person at the Berkeley campus — while donning face masks — to pose for photos and share the moment with friends and roommates.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is set to deliver a commencement speech in June to the graduating class at West Point, the U.S. Military Academy. He is slated to speak in-person.
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