COVID-19 has irreparably changed our college experience, but juniors and seniors have a particularly tragic story — we were promised something that was ultimately pulled right out from under us. 

Graduating this year comes with many obstacles—entering an employment field of uncertain modality, missing out on making memories with large groups of friends and saying goodbye to a campus that seniors have hardly inhabited for their last three semesters at Washington University. Each person of the class of 2021 has lost something unique, something that deserves space and time to remember.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed all aspects of our lives, and for seniors, that means the job application process. Aliyah Blackburn, Allison Bass, Olivia Prunier Herman and Sydni Weisberg shared their journeys with Student Life.

Around the country, students from the class of 2021 have been strongly impacted by the pandemic, having the final third of their college careers take place online. In what is already a stressful time, the COVID-19 pandemic has added worry, loneliness and uncertainty to the lives of these soon-to-be graduates.

You’ll have your memories, and you’ll have some good ones, but maybe you’ll wish you had more.

Following Chancellor Andrew Martin’s decision to cancel the May 15 commencement ceremony for the class of 2020, many graduating seniors are searching for closure.

With all the hard work I’ve put into this degree to now have graduation ripped from my hands hurts so much more than I can put into words.

Washington University canceled commencement for the class of 2020, Chancellor Andrew Martin announced in a video message to the graduating class, Monday evening, as concern over COVID-19’s spread grows nationwide.

For all the people that are graduating, I know you are almost out of here, and a lot of you are probably wondering what else you can do with just one week left at Wash. U. This is what you can do. Commit to showing solidarity with everyone who has been involved with this and everyone who is affected by this.

The commencement speaker should be someone who sets us into the world with our final piece of knowledge in our college careers, something that should be prioritized over getting someone with a big name who wants to use what should be one of the proudest days of our school careers to peddle his views on climate change, something most of us can run laps around him and others at this university about.