For high school seniors, graduation is a special rite of passage that signals their transition into adulthood. As a fully online school, GWUOHS celebrates this milestone every year with a virtual graduation ceremony. This year, to give seniors the chance to celebrate in person with each other, a group of parents and students is organizing an unofficial graduation event in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, June 20.
“While I know the school staff and administration put a lot of resources into the live stream ceremony, the chance to gather in person hits different,” said Abby Sandel, whose daughter is graduating this year. “To finally sit shoulder to shoulder with classmates you’ve only seen on a screen? It’s kind of like reaching the peak of a mountaintop and finally pausing to acknowledge everyone who has made the climb with you. Yes, it’s possible virtually, but so much better in living color.”
Along with Tina’e Jones, who is a parent of another senior, Sandel took the lead in planning the event. Together, they booked the venue, planned out the budget, and coordinated with families to sell tickets.
“Graduating high school and hearing your name called as you close out one of the most important days of your life is something that every child, student, adult should have. If adults who attend online college get to have the opportunity to do so, why shouldn’t our students?” Jones said.
What started as a conversation about bringing seniors together developed into two events scheduled for June 20: an in-person graduation ceremony and an evening cruise dinner. The formal event will start at the Georgetown Westin with a brunch buffet followed by a theater-style livestream of the official graduation ceremony.
Over 15 seniors and 75 total guests have bought tickets to attend the event, which is unaffiliated with GWUOHS and its administration.
Many students have spent years attending classes, participating in activities and clubs, and building friendships without ever meeting each other face-to-face. Senior Reem A., who plans to attend the morning ceremony, is excited to see many of her classmates for the first time.
“Since we go to an online school, most of us have never actually met in person, so being able to finally see everyone and spend time together makes it even more meaningful,” Reem said. “I’m also excited to get to know people better and finally meet classmates I’ve spent years talking to online.”
Families are flying from across the country and the world to attend the ceremony, with some arriving from Panama, Barbados, and the Dominican Republic.
The idea of a student-organized in-person graduation was not one that emerged overnight. According to senior Nikhil N., students have been discussing the possibility for years before plans were finally able to take shape.
“We have been floating hopes for an in-person graduation around for the last two years,” Nikhil said.
Nikhil helped plan the event, focusing on outreach and coordination between parents and students.
For the evening, senior Avalon B. is organizing a boat cruise dinner from The Wharf. In March, she sent out a survey to gauge interest in a potential graduation dinner. Once she saw how much her classmates liked the idea, Avalon took the initiative to make it happen.
“The biggest challenge was keeping track of everyone’s payments and answering a lot of questions while making sure everything stayed organized. Coordinating an event with a big group of people is definitely challenging,” Avalon said.
Despite these challenges along the way, she looks forward to celebrating with the rest of her class and seeing her vision come to fruition.
“It’ll be the last time our class is all together, and the first time, and I think that’s really special,” she said.
Nikhil shared a similar sentiment.
“So many of us have known each other for years only through a screen, and this is going to be a full circle moment. We will finally get to see each other in person,” Nikhil said.
