‘Welcome to the alumni family’: Sights and sounds from UI graduation
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — It was a weekend full of pomp and circumstance on the University of Illinois campus, as the class of 2024 tossed their hats and moved their tassels. It’s the end of an era for many college grads.
Thousands of Illini grads had picture-perfect weather on Saturday in Memorial Stadium as they stood for one final time together as students.
Confetti filled the air, and there were proud alumni everywhere.
“It’s amazing, I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Itay Gozalzani, a student graduating with his master’s degree, said. “It’s surreal”
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For him, it’s extra special after crossing the stage and earning his bachelor’s degree one year prior.
“It’s been two years, two ceremonies, couldn’t have asked for a better ride,” he added.
The emotions didn’t end there, especially for those who didn’t experience a typical high school commencement in 2020 during the height of COVID-19.
“It is fun because I was in 8th grade and graduated and walked across the stage, but this is the first time that I actually got to be part of it,” Grace McCoy, a graduate from the College of Education, said.
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Now, these students in particular are looking ahead to their futures as teachers and data scientists, and also back on their pasts.
“It has made me more confident, it’s made me stronger, it has shown me what it means to be a good friend and have good people around you,” Alyssa Esposito, another College of Education grad, said.
They know they’ll forever have orange and blue in their blood as they enter the “real world” as proud Illini.
“I really love this school, I wouldn’t have wanted to go anywhere else,” Esposito added.
Besides just undergrads, Saturday was important for others pursuing higher education. Many also earned their doctorate and master’s degrees. No matter the career path, they are certainly making Champaign-Urbana proud.
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