Photo by Jake Przytarski Southwest Minnesota State University graduate Kari Hedman walks across the stage during Saturday’s commencement ceremony at the R/A Facility

MARSHALL — A year removed from Southwest Minnesota State University’s difficult and unprecedented decision to cancel its 2020 commencement ceremony due to COVID, the proud tradition lived on this past Saturday for the 2021 graduating class–albeit with some format tweaks to accommodate virus protocols.

One by one 235 students walked up to the stage at the R/A Facility and received their diplomas from SMSU President Kumara Jayasuriya in front of a virtual audience of family members and friends with the event closed to in-person spectators.

Though the ceremony took on a different look than in year’s past, professional writing and communications degree recipient Meghan Sullivan said she’s thrilled to even have the event after what happened last year.

“I think that it’s really good that we’re able to do anything at all still,” said Sullivan. “Last year’s class didn’t get to have a ceremony or anything and so I’m pretty appreciative that we’re able to anything. It’s kind of a bummer that it is live-streamed and families can’t be here in person to watch us, but I’m grateful for anything I guess at this point to be able to celebrate it.”

Music education major Maria Callens said she’s thankful to have the ceremony, but was a little surprised that a limited number of people could not attend.

“Well, it was surprising,” said Callens. “I thought they would have it where we would have at least some people. Something is better than nothing I guess.”

New formats and changes of all kinds have become the new normal for college students as they try to navigate their way towards earning their degrees. For some, the challenges can become overwhelming. Sara Swenhaugen, a bachelor of science in nursing degree recipient who spent a great deal of time on the frontlines at Sanford Tracy Medical Center, said that it took a great deal of perseverance to stick it out through all of the adversity she faced throughout the pandemic.

“It’s really changed the way things are handled all around. I was 100% online anyway, and I’m a frontline nurse too. So that really changed my life when COVID happened,” said Swenhaugen. “I almost quit school, but I decided to persevere and continue on and here I am.”

Now that she’s received her BSN, Swenhaugen says she hasn’t ruled out returning to school and furthering her education while she continues working at her new job at Avera Marshall.

“I’ve thought about going into teaching and furthering my degree until I’m master’s or Ph.D., so we’ll just see what life brings,” said Swenhaugen.

For others, their careers in academia are officially complete as Callens says she’s searching for the right opportunity to begin her music teaching career, while Sullivan says she’s preparing for her new job in Des Moines.

“I actually have a job lined up in Des Moines so I’m moving down there within the next couple weeks and I’ll be starting that,” said Sullivan.