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'It Feels Like I Actually Graduated:' Class Of 2020 Gets To Walk Across Stage

Falicia Hall wears her decorated mortarboard at a special graduation ceremony held for UNC Greensboro 2020 graduates Saturday, May 8, 2021 in Greensboro, N.C. University and college 2020 graduates get their moment in the spotlight and their own graduation, a year after Covid-19 cancelled in person ceremonies. (Lynn Hey for WUNC)
Lynn Hey / For WUNC

Graduations for both 2020 and 2021 started taking place this weekend.

Mother's Day weekend was filled with college commencements. Graduates of Fayetteville State, N.C. Central, NCA&T and UNC Greensboro all celebrated their graduations over the weekend.

While the Class of 2021 took the spotlight, some universities also held in-person ceremonies for the Class of 2020.

Those students missed out on traditional commencements while they graduated amid the rise of the pandemic.

Devon Woods graduated from NCA&T with a bachelor's degree in accounting in 2020. He got to put on his cap and gown Sunday.

It feels like I actually graduated," he said. "This time last year, it feels like my class, we went on spring break, and we just never came back to school. And for the first time, it's like, I can finally close that chapter in my life.

Graduation season will continue next weekend, as N.C. State and UNC Chapel Hill celebrate their commencements.

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Liz Schlemmer is WUNC's Education Reporter, covering preschool through higher education. Email: lschlemmer@wunc.org
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