From Virtual Graduation Parties to Drive-Through Parades, Here’s How Arab Graduates Celebrated Their Success
By Nour El-Miligi
By now, we’ve all come to terms with the fact that this year is, by all means, unusual on so many levels. So, when it came to this year’s graduates, things were challenging to say the least! Most of the celebratory graduation traditions that include wearing gowns, shaking hands with the principal, being handed a bachelor certificate while walking across the stage, and finalizing the experience by throwing the caps, have become officially off the table. But does that mean graduates wouldn’t get to celebrate their commencements? Absolutely not!
Though some students were disappointed, feeling robbed of the graduation experience they have been waiting forever since they started their college years, graduates still found their own ways to celebrate despite 2020, but with some readjustments of their expectations.
Here’s a rundown of the alternate routes 2020 graduating students had to take in order to salute their milestones amid the pandemic.
Held an in-house graduation ceremony
Egyptians never cease to blow our minds away with their creativity, don’t you think? A bunch of friends partied hard with a very cool momma present to liven up the mood, making her girls a home-made grad party accompanied by the pomp and ceremony that usually follows an official commencement party! You go girls!
Held a drive-thru parade
Since social distancing is the weapon of choice in combatting COVID-19, graduating seniors have smartly kept the preventive measures in place all while enjoying a graduation parade! With decorations covering the car, helium balloons, and graduation songs playing in the background, these graduates definitely made up for their real graduation!
Held their own grad photoshoots at home
Having a backyard in the house turned out to be more beneficial than we thought, that’s because it has turned into a graduation platform where friends have held a photo booth capturing themselves wearing their gowns and throwing the caps!
Spent the night at a hotel of their choice
For those who couldn’t let go of the dream of their university holding a pitch-perfect grad in a fancy hotel, they went for doing this themselves. Booking a one night stay at a hotel, bringing along their own graduation balloons, gowns, and caps and hosting their own party’s just the second-best alternative to a traditional commencement ceremony.
Held virtual graduation parties
Reconciling with the fact that a pandemic has hit the world in the same year of graduation and in-person graduation has become impossible, some students went for the safest way possible to relish their graduation party, hosting a virtual commencement party through Zoom, Facetime and a multiple of different interface platforms.
Had a Felucca party
We have the Nile and felucca rides available all year round, so why not take advantage of this and have an unparalleled experience hosting your graduation party by the Nile at sunset with friends, and an exciting music playlist? Opting for an outdoor setting like a felucca to celebrate your graduation seems like the perfect corona-party choice.
We can only imagine how much of a turn-off it must have been for this year’s graduating seniors that their traditional graduation party has been called off. Yet if you want a more optimistic view of the whole issue, we can say that you, out of all the previous and upcoming graduates, have had it different, in a special way.
In the end, remember that it’s all about celebrating your accomplishments and obtaining your degree and you’ve certainly done so smartly and we can assure you that you’ll have a unique story to tell your grandchildren for the rest of your life, so well done!
