Graduation in the Age of the Coronavirus: MEC Featured on WABC, Bklyner, and NY1 News

It’s graduation season and with the restrictions in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, celebrities are stepping in to help graduating seniors and their families celebrate their accomplishments virtually.

On May 16, 2020, Medgar Evers College participated in the #ShowMeYourWalk: HBCU Edition, presented by JP Morgan Chase. The virtual commencement ceremony celebrated the achievements of more than 27,000 HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) students from 78 schools.

The event was hosted by comedian Kevin Hart, and featured guests included U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, Debbie Allen, Steve Harvey, and many more. Most notably, former President Barack Obama addressed the class of 2020 and delivered a long-awaited message of pride and hope. You can learn more about the event here, and you can watch the ceremony here.

Local news station NY1 featured MEC in a segment about the virtual celebration event.

MEC’s graduating senior Arlys Tineo appeared on WABC, where she shared how the pandemic has impacted her family’s plans to celebrate her milestone. “We’re going to sit in my living room, and I’m going to have my parents watching it as well on their TV”, Tineo said. “For their firstborn child to go to college, it’s important because they didn’t get the chance to go to college.” You can watch the full story here.

Arlys also spoke with Bklyner, where she reflected on the broader significance of the pandemic. “The class of 2020 will go down in history as the most resilient class. This is an accomplishment that should be celebrated. Nothing stopped us from getting our degrees, not even a global pandemic. This is a historic moment that we will talk about for generations to come. In such a turbulent time in history, let’s celebrate and rejoice,” Tineo said. You can read the full article here.