UConn's Class of 2020 finally gets its ceremony

May 9—EAST HARTFORD — As they accepted their stand-in diplomas Saturday morning, University of Connecticut graduates were reminded of the school's slogan: students today, huskies forever.

Around 4,800 students from the Class of 2020, clad in navy blue caps and gowns, and hundreds of their friends and family members socially distanced at Rentschler Field for their long-awaited graduation ceremony, one year after their original in-person graduation was to take place.

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For many of the graduates, which included students who received their bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees, the in-person ceremony provided a sense of closure, something they were unable to achieve in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

For Diante Felton, the day held a particularly special meaning — he was the first person in his family to graduate from college. Diante, who earned a bachelor's degree in management, now lives his Hartford and his family flew from Chicago to see him get his diploma.

"Being a first-generation college student and being the person in my family to do graduate, it means a lot to not only myself but to my family. Because again, it's commemorating this day," Felton said.

Kevin Lassen and Megan Ferris, both from Danbury, were among their friends on graduation day. For the couple, it was strange and surreal but exciting to be graduating in person.

At this time last year, they were graduating over Zoom and now, a year later, they're at Rentschler Field getting their promised in-person graduation ceremony.

It's been a year in the making, but we're very grateful and appreciative that they made this happen," Ferris said.

UConn President Thomas C. Katsouleas welcomed the returning students back home and commended them on having already passed the final exam in the year since they've completed their degrees, where they've applied the knowledge and skills they learned during their years at the university toward their next chapter.

Katsouleas said that one of the most important lessons they can learn from their experiences is perseverance.

A year ago, they were unable to gather together in public, and the experience of their commencement ceremony was just an unfilled milestone.

Therefore, Katsouleas could not be more proud than to bring the Class of 2020 back for this celebration to recognize what they had accomplished in their years at UConn and since graduation.

"You never stop being UConn graduates," he said. "And you never stop taking your experiences from UConn, and bringing them to everything you do from now on. As I hope I've discovered, the life of the mind is not something that comes to an end when you receive your diploma. Maintaining a pursuit of truth, knowledge and curiosity remains as important now as it was when you were students."

UConn Provost Carl Lejuez spoke about how their graduation had been a long time in the making, but just because they were graduating doesn't mean that their connection to UConn ends.

"There are countless examples of Huskies making a difference, and having an impact after they graduated. And I am pleased to say that in every case, there was a faculty or staff member or graduate students celebrating those successes, nearly as passionately as the alumni themselves," he said.

Therefore, the graduates will always stay connected to the university as they make their way through life.

Class speaker Tanya Miller, who earned her bachelor's degree in physiology and neurobiology, said that even though Saturday's celebration didn't look how they all imagined, it's still a day of joyous love, celebration, and excitement.

"Not only have we all achieved incredible life milestones, but we have all survived over 14 months of the COVID-19 pandemic," she said. "Even when it was uncertain what the next week and the next day held, you still got up each morning and faced the day head-on, because that's what Huskies do. We are leaders, we are changemakers, and we are fighters," she said.

Miller continued that everyone sitting in the stands was a different person than they were when they first started their respective programs.

They have changed for the better and outgrew old versions that no longer serve them. They have made friends and overcome challenges and achieved extraordinary things they never thought possible.

"You took a chance on yourself, and you were right to do so. As we continue on into the next chapter of our lives, I hope we take away at least one silver lining from graduating during a pandemic.

"Although most of us would no longer live within a 20-minute radius of our friends from UConn we have seen this past year here that Love knows no disease. Whether it's six feet apart, or zoom call away. We are always there for each other today, tomorrow, and every day after that," Miller said.

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