Article 5 – The Highs and Lows of Graduating During a Pandemic

Kamryn Prokopow

One March night in 2020, I went to bed, and little did I know that when I woke up, my senior year would be over. The spread of the COVID-19 virus was getting worse across Canada, causing the Manitoba government to make some serious decisions. These decisions included shutting down schools, which I thought was going to be for three weeks, only to find out later that it would last for the rest of the school year. The shutdown also impacted my senior year due to the school closure, and all I could think about was, “well, what do we do now?”

Since grade 9, I could not wait to walk across the stage with everyone I have grown up with, but the world had different plans. COVID-19 hit the world hard, throwing a monkey wrench into everyone’s plans for 2020. I felt as though I took a big kick to the gut, considering that I worked so hard for this moment. My graduation ceremony got cancelled immediately, but that did not stop us from devising another way to celebrate. A plan was conducted to have a sort of drive-through ceremony, and I was immediately on board with it, although it meant graduating in a parking lot. Even with the prospect of having some form of a graduation ceremony, I was still affected in many ways. Having the graduation ceremony in a parking lot meant that I could no longer celebrate with all my friends because there were three different ceremony groups. I had to watch my friends graduate over a live Facebook video. For the past thirteen years, I have been through so much with everyone. I wished COVID-19 did not take away the chance for my friends and me to celebrate our graduation together. Even though it was hard to cope with the news, I am still so grateful that I got anything at all.

COVID-19 not only affected my graduation ceremony, but it also affected the graduation ball. The graduation ball was one last opportunity to celebrate everything we have accomplished before each one of us goes on our way. To flatten the curve, the government put limits on how many people could be at one gathering; at the time of the ball, only 50 people could attend. My graduation class was over this limit, causing the graduation ball to be cancelled. This caused me to be truly angry at the world for what was happening. I had already spent a great deal of money on a graduation dress and had booked all the appointments I would need for the day. With the decrease in the COVID-19 case numbers in summer, there was renewed hope that the ball would be held in October, but the numbers spiked again. I will now never get the chance to experience my graduation ball. From my observation, most people think that everything about COVID-19 was negative; however, there are still some positive aspects to the story for me.

This pandemic brought me closer to many of my classmates; we have shared the common experience of having a disruptive event truncate our plans. I have made connections with people that I never thought I would talk to again because I wanted to develop a plan to still make my senior year memorable. The graduation parade was a moment I will never forget. My classmates and I planned and decorated a float for the parade; that meant a lot to me. I was still able to wear my dress as I had always wanted to, and this way, more people had the chance to see it than if the ceremony had been held in the usual hall. After the parade, I made the best of the situation and had an amazing time celebrating with my family. My family knew how much I was affected by the pandemic, so they decided to make the day special for me in their own way. This would have never been possible with a normal graduation day as it is always so rushed.
Overall, COVID-19 affected me in more ways than I would have ever imagined possible. My graduation ceremony and ball were cancelled. Because of that, I was then able to have a graduation parade and an amazing time with my family. I was affected negatively at the start, but by not letting COVID-19 take over my life, I was able to have a great graduation day. I will now live my life focusing only on the positive aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This, I believe, is the best approach if one wants to keep one’s sanity in a challenging time such as this.

Kamryn Prokopow is an 18-year-old student at UCN. She was born and raised in The Pas, MB, where she decided to complete the 3-year Bachelor of Arts program. Author’s Bio: Her goal, once complete, is to further her education to become an elementary school teacher. She has completed 13 years of the Girl Guides program, where she realized she wanted to work with children. This desire to work with children has been reinforced with Kamryn’s past three years of experience as a leader for a younger girl’s group. Graduating during a pandemic has allowed Kamryn to write about her experiences. Overall, it has offered the chance to look at life from a new perspective.

Instructor’s Remarks: Kamryn Prokopow was my student in the Composition and Creativity class in fall of 2020. Her essay is a personal reflection on how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted her, especially as it prevented her and her peers from having their high school graduation ceremony in the usual way. Kamryn, through her essay, reminds the reader that the human spirit can never be crushed. We will always find a way to circumvent challenging situations; case in point, having a drive-through graduation ceremony. Great work, Kamryn! – Dr. Joseph Atoyebi.