With his first real graduation at the University of Virginia around the corner, Jered Cooper is excited to finally have a gown that fits him right. Four years ago, instead of walking across the stage to celebrate the end of high school, 6’3” Cooper put on the small-sized gown that was sent to him and huddled with his family around their kitchen island to watch a video slideshow of his graduating class.
Cooper remembers his last day of high school quite clearly. It was March 12, 2020, which began like any typical Thursday. However, on his bus ride home from Bishop O’Connell High School in Falls Church, he realized the day was ending in the opposite fashion. Earlier, his mother had texted him telling him to grab all of his books from his locker, as radio reports were saying that the COVID-19 virus was getting worse. Cooper remembers the gray sky on the bus ride home, nature’s foreshadowing of the days ahead.
The next day, the world shut down. Then-President Donald Trump declared a “National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease Outbreak.” With the order of “15 Days to Slow the Spread” looming in the back of the nation’s mind, days of pandemic lockdown turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months.
“As April turned into May, the closure came,” Cooper said. “There was all that time to sit and think and reflect because there wasn’t really anything you could do.”
Like many other high school seniors, Cooper had moments where he wallowed in all the “what would’ve been” moments. A ceremony that should’ve taken place at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., became a virtual slideshow over Zoom.
“May 28 comes, the day of the slideshow… and I just really didn’t care,” Cooper said. “Here I was with my incorrectly fitting robe; no one could be there. I’m in my kitchen and we’re all huddled over a screen. I actually got so tired of it that I went outside and did yard work.”
Cooper is just one of more than 3,500 UVA fourth-years who will celebrate their first proper graduation on the weekend of May 17-19, 2024. With Final Exercises approaching, many students are reflecting on where they were four years ago and are looking forward to what a “normal” celebration will bring.
Caroline Lystash, a fourth-year civil engineering student from Roanoke, Virginia, always knew she wanted to bleed orange and blue. Her two older brothers are graduates of the University, and she grew up attending every football and basketball game possible.Since her parents served as a cardiologist and retired nurse, the pandemic took a greater toll on her household than others experienced.
“I finally realized how serious it was when seeing the mask lines on their faces when they came home from work,” Lystash recalls.
Her initial makeshift graduation consisted of a drive-through celebration around a parking lot and field. Later in the summer, North Cross High School was able to hold a socially distanced graduation on a football field.
Carter Cingrani, a fourth-year government student from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, shared a similar experience to Lystash when it came time to graduate from high school in May 2020.
Having helped out at his high school’s previous graduation ceremonies, Cingrani looked forward to commemorating his academic achievements at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre. However, the park became closed to the public, which resulted in a socially distanced ceremony on a turf football field that only his parents could attend while his sister and grandparents streamed virtually.
“It was bizarre not to have family support,” Cingrani said.
Celebrations for this year’s Final Exercises weekend will begin on that Friday evening with UVA Alum Ryan Zimmerman, also known as “Mr. National,” kicking off Valedictory Exercises as the keynote speaker at John Paul Jones Arena.
“He will be addressing the class as a whole with his message of perseverance, service, and community involvement to resonate and motivate our class as we move forward in our lives,” Danielle Stephens, Class of 2024 Trustees Graduation Chair, said.
“Valedictory Exercises will be a shorter program that will allow for everyone to come together but also as a heartfelt tribute to the bonds formed, challenges overcome, and the collective spirit that has propelled us forward,” Stephens shared. “It’s an opportunity for the graduating class to stand together one last time, not just as students, but as friends on a journey.”
On Saturday, May 18, graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Batten School, and the School of Education and Human Development will be recognized for their academic achievements and will hear from Professor Daniel Willingham of the Psychology Department.
Willingham, who studies human learning and is the author of several books, the most recent of which is “Outsmart Your Brain: Why Your Brain Makes Learning Hard and How You Can Make It Easy,” is looking forward to offering remarks that provide some “utility” to graduates.
The following day, May 19, graduates from all other schools, including Architecture, Commerce, Law, Data Science, Medicine, and Nursing, will be celebrated. Risa Goluboff, Dean of UVA Law, will be the keynote speaker for Sunday.
“I am thrilled and honored to speak to the Class of 2024 as they get ready for their next adventures,” Golubuff said.
With the countdown to the big day less than a month away, there are mixed sentiments from graduating fourth years.
“I finally have a book I can close; the pages are going to be finished,” Cooper says. “But I’m not ready to close the book.” Still, he realizes just how momentous an occasion Final Exercises Weekend will be for him.
“When I really think about eventually wearing the honors of honors, I think to myself, I did that. I really did that,” Cooper reflected. “I think of my ancestors who were poor sharecroppers and didn’t go to school, and couldn’t read or write. And here, I get to stand at one of the finest universities in the country.”
Cingrani, who is debating between joining a startup company or working for a lobbying firm after graduation, appreciates what UVA has taught him, not only about himself, but also about making connections with others.
“Growing up in a very homogenous area in Colorado, UVA has really taught me to open my eyes and be willing to experience a lot of different things. It’s been awesome meeting people with different political views, different cultural backgrounds, and different backgrounds all together and being able to appreciate them and respect them for what they have to offer,” Cingrani said. “I’ve definitely learned a lot from the people around me.”
Lystash, who will be headed to Savannah, Georgia to work for a civil engineering firm, looks back on her time at UVA with pride in the effort she put into pursuing her education.
“If you can commit yourself, you can really do anything. If you push yourself and put the time and effort in, you can do it,” Lystash answered when asked about the biggest lesson she learned from her time at UVA.
After experiencing various makeshift graduation ceremonies four years ago, Cooper, Cingrani, and Lystash all share the same excitement for what they all hope will be a very “normal” graduation commemorating a remarkable group of students.
“This class has met tough challenges with grace, courage, and compassion for one another, and I’m really looking forward to celebrating them,” UVA President Jim Ryan said.
To the Class of 2024, he shared, “My best advice is to cherish the friendships that you developed here and hold onto them wherever you go next. Never doubt what you bring to the table, and always remember that you have a home here on Grounds.”
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