In-person graduation: The circumstances have changed, so the pomp is back

A WCC Class of 2019 graduate. Courtesy of WCC.

by MELANIE CHAPMAN
Staff writer

This coming May, WCC will host its first in-person graduation ceremony since the start of the pandemic.

The ceremony will take place Saturday, May 21, at Eastern Michigan University’s Convocation Center, said Fran Lefort, WCC’s director of media relations.

WCC’s Honors Convocation will be held on Thursday, May 19, also at the EMU Convocation Center.

In 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, graduates could celebrate with only a virtual event. Last year, as the availability of vaccines improved safety, WCC held a drive-through ceremony where students accepted their diplomas from their cars.

Graduating classes have ranged from 2,200 to 1,769 students in recent years, according to WCC’s annual reports.

Maxine Carter, a soon-to-be a 2022 graduate, expressed their (her) feeling about being able to walk across the stage.

“Honestly, I am so blessed and fortunate to be a part of the graduating Class of 2022,” said Carter. After the pandemic, I had no idea how long it would be to cross this road of graduation, but now that I am graduating in-person, I am so thrilled. After all of my hard work and years of dedication at WCC, it has finally paid off for me.”

WCC officials are accepting applications from prospective graduation speakers. Interested students may apply online using the WCC Student Graduate Speaker Application 2022 form by the March 20 deadline.