SJVC Hesperia Holds Virtual Graduation

On Friday, January 8, 2021, SJVC Hesperia held its first all-virtual graduation ceremony for students completing their programs from the past year.

About 50 graduates RSVP’d to attend the online event (about 100 people attended online, including friends and family), with close to 250 students graduating altogether.

The graduation was held through Microsoft Teams, with a live event link sent to students to log in and observe. The program was kicked off by Business Instructor Sean Warman, who began by sharing a little about who SJVC is and what they do.

A video of the American flag with national anthem was then played. Jamie Danforth followed with a speech to the graduates, highlighting the journey of student life over the past year, pre- and post-pandemic.

The valedictorian and salutatorian were presented, along with presentation of the Founder’s Award, given to a student with outstanding academic achievement who has also made a difference in the community. Though the valedictorian traditionally speaks at graduation, buffering and technical issues prevented that this time around.

A beautiful professional video that had been made by faculty was played to congratulate the students; it included drone footage of the campus, and each instructor speaking to the graduates (fb.watch/2ZCWjqYoRS/) with heartfelt recognition of their hard work and dedication.

Graduates were then presented: each attending student had a slide with their photo (in which they wore a cap and tassel). The slide included honors, awards, and a personal quote. A pause was given between each graduate to give families time to recognize and celebrate the moment.

After all graduates had been presented, Jamie conferred the degrees.

“We received good feedback from students and staff about the graduation,” Jamie says. “It was positive and upbeat. I believe they enjoyed the videos. We aimed to best serve our graduates, and we wanted it professional and memorable. It is all about them. You take the time to prepare because they deserve the best from us.”

SJVC Hesperia Class of 2020, we wish you all the best!