On the course of this year-long pandemic, having a traditional commencement ceremony is out of the question. Graduates of California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) have the option to attend a drive-through commencement ceremony on May 22 as an alternative to celebrating their success at home.
Although a drive-through commencement ceremony is not ideal, CSUMB officials are making an effort to offer graduates more than a virtual graduation video, which was the way graduates celebrated last year. For this year’s ceremony, there will still be a graduation video displayed on the CSUMB website, which will show slides of graduates’ names in alphabetical order to replicate an announcer calling out names on a microphone.
Graduates have the opportunity to create their own slide by adding a personalized photo of themselves and a quote or statement they would like to display in the graduation video. They must submit the slide to CSUMB by April 5 at 11:59 p.m. to have their slide included. If graduates do not meet this deadline, their slide will have the default layout which lists their name, major and a photo of the CSUMB Alumni Association logo. April 5 is the deadline to register for the drive-through commencement ceremony as well. Graduates can upload their slide by filling out a form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeRRWvAUiswx3E3xYBXFMTIsyf9m2xe-RlOnqsClt7HH0lMmg/viewform.
Aside from the commencement video, all graduates will receive a swag box from CSUMB, containing a black cap and tassel, CSUMB liscence plate cover and mask and an alumni pin. These are expected to arrive at seniors’s homes in late April.
To assist seniors with questions about ending their journey at CSUMB, the university held GradFest on March 9 and 10. GradFest was a large question and answer session led by commencement event planner Hayley Azevedo.
Azevedo said the commencement ceremony begins at 11 a.m. on May 22 and all registered graduates are required to arrive no later than noon. CSUMB faculty, staff and cheer squad will group around the sides of the road to celebrate the achievements of graduating seniors. There will be no jumbotron displaying the commencement video, names announced out loud or a specific order to the vehicles driving through campus, which could possibly create bumper-to-bumper traffic.
If students would like to order a gown to go along with their cap, they can find them at gradfair.herffjones.com/csumb along with information about graduation rings and other merchandise. If seniors have any questions regarding graduation, they can email [email protected] for more information.