Nathan Webb, a fourth-year in information systems, and his family created a makeshift commencement ceremony in his backyard. Credit: Courtesy of Nathan Webb

Nathan Webb walked across his parents’ backyard and received a diploma from his parents as his fiancee and neighbors watched the makeshift commencement ceremony. 

Webb, a fourth-year in information systems, planned on receiving his diploma in Ohio Stadium Sunday, as did the rest of his class. That changed when University President Michael V. Drake announced April 3 that the class of 2020 would have a virtual commencement due to COVID-19, leading Webb and his classmates to make their own celebrations. 

“We had a program with a schedule and went through the schedule,” Webb said. “It took about 25-30 minutes. My dad gave a fun speech.”

Webb said his father set up chairs in the backyard and created a podium out of a music stand. He put Ohio State jerseys on the chairs and played “Pomp and Circumstance” to give his son as authentic of a commencement as possible. 

“It was just as good as the real thing,” Webb said. “It felt, to me, more personalized, therefore about as fun as I would expect.”

Webb said his mother gave a speech to represent the kind the Alumni Association typically gives at commencement to add to the experience. After her speech, Webb’s father called on him to stand and move his tassel. 

“And then I walked up, received my ‘diploma,’ and then walked back down,” Webb said. “It was basically just a fun reenactment of commencement.”

Webb said commencement would be attended virtually by his extended family, with the hope they will be able to do an in-person celebration later in the summer. 

Though Webb and his family felt they made the best of the circumstances, other students’ families were upset by the news.

Ezequiel Herrera, a first-generation and fourth-year student in strategic communication and psychology, said the virtual commencement announcement was crushing for his family, but they would celebrate his achievements virtually anyway.

“I think it’s devastating for them,” Herrera said. “Moreso for them than me just because I know how long they’ve been anticipating this and wanting this.”

Herrera said his grandma said she prayed every night that she would be able to see him graduate college and asked him how the virtual commencement would work. 

His immediate family plans to celebrate by watching Drake and Apple CEO Tim Cook’s addresses live while FaceTiming his grandparents, and his remaining extended family will join a Zoom call afterward to celebrate and discuss his future plans. 

The celebration won’t end there for Herrera and his younger brother, who is graduating high school this spring.

“My mom’s thinking of doing a little Zoom thing or something out in the yard that we both can celebrate since both of our graduations were canceled,” Herrera said. 

Like Webb, Herrera and his family are still trying to make the commencement as significant as it was intended to be. 

“I know my family is gonna try to do some special stuff. Pretty much, it’s what everyone else is doing,” Herrera said. “I know a lot of my friends, what we’ve been doing is … Zooming or FaceTiming each day leading up to it, making sure that we post little special graduation pics, memories that we have sending them to each other.”