This graduation season, celebrate and be celebrated

From prekindergarten to high school and college, graduations of all sizes and iterations are back — and none of us should take them for granted. This is more than tassels, caps and gowns. We haven’t forgotten how COVID-19 canceled or altered most everything last year — including graduations.

Held in classrooms, on football fields, at the Alamodome and in other venues, graduations that are close to normal are finally providing much-deserved honor and celebration.

Graduations signal the end, or at least a pause, of assignments, reading, papers, exams and group projects. They provide closure. Whatever the GPA is, it is. Diplomas and degrees are proof that graduates finished, despite the challenges, especially for first-generation graduates and students with special needs. Today’s students are bonded in perseverance.

Graduations also signal the celebration of a new journey. Oh, how much we all have to celebrate this graduation season! Aside from being grateful for the remarkable progress made possible by COVID-19 vaccines, this year’s graduates have not only endured but survived and even thrived amid a pandemic unlike anything any adult in their life had ever experienced.

This year’s threshold is testimony that graduates, and all who supported them, summoned strength to overcome adversity — not only personal challenges but those we faced as a community: COVID-19 and Winter Storm Uri. Their skills, talent and sheer desire to advance led to this milestone.

The adages that some parents used to share about walking uphill to school in the snow and heat or completing homework without the internet won’t compare to the stories today’s students will tell their children.

Today’s students and graduates will chronicle taking all classes online. They’ll recall how they did not set foot in a school or meet teachers or other students in person. Others will describe wearing face masks and eating lunch in classrooms or cafeterias divided by partitions.

Sadly, some will share nervewracking stories of testing positive for the coronavirus or their family losing their livelihoods. Some will share heartbreaking memories of loved ones dying of COVID-19.

The story of the pandemic and its effect is far from over for tens of thousands of students who will continue to persevere — all the more reason to celebrate accomplishments.

A heartfelt congratulations to all graduates and every person who had anything to do with their education, starting with parents and family members: Their pride and love transcend even the grandest of pomp and circumstance.

A sincere thank you goes to their educators — to every teacher, paraprofessional, support staff, counselor and principal. They deserve to cross the stage themselves for all they’ve invested to help graduates succeed.

Much praise must go to school boards and administrators who recognized the value in quickly planning safe ceremonies. Northside, North East and Southside ISDs chose the Alamodome for their graduation ceremonies to safely accommodate hundreds of students and their guests, the Express-News reported. Other districts, including San Antonio and Edgewood ISDs, chose their football stadiums or other large venues.

Earlier in May when case numbers weren’t as low, some local colleges gave students ways to mark their graduations via drivethru or drive-in ceremonies.

Every graduate and every person celebrating them must savor every moment — take the selfies and eat the cake. They know the challenges of the last year haven’t disappeared.

Graduates — may each of you celebrate and reflect on this achievement and be encouraged: You are resilient.

San Antonio Independent School District Mia Pena, right, and others relish their graduation Wednesday from the Young Women’s Leadership Academy. After more than a year of pandemic, the resilience of graduates is remarkable.