DAVENPORT, Iowa — Graduates from St. Ambrose University's class of 2020 finally got a chance to celebrate.
The Davenport college canceled in-person ceremonies for spring and fall of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the school has been working to make sure the class gets the ceremony they deserve — and what better time could that be than homecoming?
Graduates gathered on Sept. 18 at the Galvin Fine Arts Center with faculty, family and friends attending.
"The best part about coming back is just seeing everyone that I never got to say goodbye to," political science graduate Sara Killackey said. "Not just peers, not just professors, but faculty members and just people you would see every day at Ambrose. It's so great to be back and I'm so happy to be here."
Several guest speakers were at the event, including President Emerita Sister Joan Lescinski who served St. Ambrose from 2007-2021.
"I would like to suggest that you're almost perfectly qualified to bring hope into our world," Sister Joan said in her speech addressing the graduates. "You are well educated. You have sustained difficulty and disappointment. You have come through a time of unprecedented confusion and unexpected trial."
Graduates remembered how difficult it was to adapt to COVID-related changes.
"All our classes were virtual, and it was a huge difference from being in the classroom and having those in-person connections," Killackey added.
"I was in the middle of my last fieldwork rotation," occupational therapy graduate Erin Hocker said. "I was working at a memory care unit and everything just shut down. Since then, everything's been completely different."
However, the graduates and their families are grateful for the chance to reunite and honor their accomplishments.
"Being her parents, we're so proud to get the opportunity to acknowledge what she's accomplished," Erin's mother said. "We're really proud of her."
More than 200 students graduated from St. Ambrose in the spring of 2020.