On Friday, June 11, Clackamas Community College held a ceremony to celebrate the graduating class of 2021. Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony was held in a way that accommodated social distancing guidelines.

The event was held outdoors, in front of the Industrial Technology Center at the college’s Oregon City campus. The families and friends of graduates formed a line of cars and ferried their graduates to a covered stage where College President Tim Cook waited to greet each of them. Friends and family decorated their cars with writing and balloons to show their excitement and appreciation for their graduates, and CCC faculty and staff lined the sidewalks around the stage, cheering the graduates on as they waited for their names to be read.

Students would exit their cars and wait for their turn to walk up the stage, where they would be presented with their certificate. Once off the stage, graduates would walk past more lines of cheering faculty before getting back in their vehicle. On the other side of campus, a photo area was set up with a banner and cutouts of the college’s mascot.
Despite the limitations brought about by social distancing guidelines, the event was joyful, and graduates were able to celebrate their hard work with their loved ones.