SALEM — Salem State University celebrated its graduates from both 2020 and 2021 this month, awarding 1,500 undergraduate and graduate degrees to the class of 2021 and 1,900 to the class of 2020 in virtual ceremonies and small gatherings.
Commencement ceremonies were aired virtually at 12 p.m. Saturday, May 22. Students were also given the opportunity to bring guests to smaller, in-person “Viking Roll Call” events, where they could cross the commencement stage and have photos taken with university President John Keenan and Provost David Silva. These Viking Roll Calls took place on May 14 and 15 for the class of 2020 and May 21 and 22 for the class of 2021.
“The Viking Roll Call events allowed us to maintain the most cherished part of commencement — hearing your name and crossing the stage to the applause of friends and family,” said President Keenan. “I know these gatherings were not what students envisioned when they began their degrees, but from where I stood, the excitement and emotion of commencement filled the room. It’s the least we could do for graduates who have overcome so much.”
All students who participated in the in-person events were awarded a Viking Strong cord in honor of their perseverance in graduating amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am beyond appreciative that I was able to celebrate my accomplishment with my husband and children, with the intimate awards presentation that allowed for my six-year-old daughter to present me with my diploma and announce my name as I crossed the stage,” said Helena Diamond of Danvers, head of the math department at Lynn’s Thurgood Marshall Middle School, who completed a certificate in Educational Leadership. “After a long year of remote learning, I was able to end the experience by celebrating with my Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study cohort members while enjoying the amazing display of music, food trucks and fun-filled activities. The entire experience from start to finish is now a memory that my family and I will cherish forever.”
Commencement speaker Monique Morris, a social justice advocate, author and filmmaker, accepted an honorary degree from the university during the virtual ceremony and encouraged graduates to be active participants in advancing justice.
“All of us are impacted by acts of harm, acts of injustice; so we can’t turn away from those paths that may be different from our own, or that don’t appear to intersect with ours,” Morris said. “They will still affect the ecosystem that we’re a part of, so it also impacts us.”