(NewsNation) — Because of COVID-19, many graduates from 2020 onward had their commencement ceremonies canceled, or done virtually.
To make it up to these students, Harrisburg University in Pennsylvania has invited the class of 2020,2021 an 2022 to participate in its graduation ceremony this year.
More than 3,000 students will be eligible to participate, NewsNation local affiliate WHTM said.
“We especially think it is important for those classes that didn’t have a formal ceremony,” Vice President for Advancement Ryan Riley told the station. “A number of our students at the undergraduate level are first-generation college students and they built relationships that will last a lifetime. They never had the opportunity to say congratulations or goodbye in person.”
Harrisburg’s graduation is set for May 12.
With the vaccine and booster shots available and cases declining earlier this year, many events like graduations, weddings and concerts are coming back. However, the U.S. could be trudging into another COVID-19 surge, with cases rising nationally after a two-month decline, the Associated Press reported.
Still, no one expects a peak as high as the one caused by the omicron variant of the coronavirus, the AP said.
