Dr. William Downs addresses Gardner-Webb University's Class of 2020 at a socially-distanced graduation during the COVID-19 pandemic. He acknowledges the empty stadium replacing the imagined ceremony with lights and fireworks, yet affirms the graduates have earned their degrees and are ready to launch their lives as thinkers and world-changers.
Gardner-Webb University Class of 2020, congratulations! You've made it to the finish line, and we are all so very, very proud of you. We call this commencement for a good reason, because your future starts right here and right now. But this is a bittersweet moment, as this is the strangest of graduation days. Standing here in this empty stadium, sunlight bathing the stands, another beautiful Boiling Springs day in front of us. But you're not here, and we're not together. This isn't quite how we had planned your big day. It was going to be a grand ceremony under the lights, rousing speeches, laughter, cheering, lots of hugs, maybe even some tears, a big flourish of fireworks at the end, and I was even gonna wear this fancy hat. But you know, life doesn't always follow the script, and even though our spring semester didn't play out exactly the way you might have wanted it to, Guess what? You're still realizing your dream. You're receiving your degree, and you're launching your life. You've persevered, you've persisted, and you've passed every test and cleared all of your hurdles to secure your diploma. So while we may be tempted to lament what might have been had we all been together this semester, let's instead celebrate what you have become. You are now a Gardner-Webb graduate. You are a thinker, you are a doer, and you are a world changer. You are a Bulldog, and you will be a Bulldog for life. Today you graduate, but my friends, this fall we celebrate. With the worst of the coronavirus behind us and with God's good grace, we will return to this special place, and we will celebrate you, the Class of 2020. Be safe and be well.
