How Southeastern Community College turned their Graduation into a Walk for All
Few things compare to the feeling of walking across the stage for your diploma after years of hard work, or finally being able to move your tassel from right to left. It’s a moment that’s hard to recreate over video chat, or through a virtual celebration, but for many members of the Class of 2020, that was the only option.
The graduates at Southeastern Community College had a different idea.
Here’s how they turned their graduation into a walk for all the graduates of 2020.
For the past one hundred years, Southeastern Community College has stood by the citizens of Iowa, providing the workforce training, healthcare education and higher education support the Hawkeye State has not only asked for, but needed.
Once it became clear that the ongoing coronavirus crisis would disrupt scheduled commencement festivities nationwide, a poll was sent to graduating SCC seniors asking them if they would prefer to do a virtual celebration, or postpone the ceremony until it was safe to celebrate in person. The answer was unanimous – we will wait, we will walk together, and we will walk in honor of the hundreds of thousands of high school and college graduates across the country who couldn’t. And sure enough, on Saturday, August 1st – they did.
350 students graduated across SCC’s three campuses. For many, this graduation marked the first for their families. For SCC itself, it was a celebration of its century-long commitment to the citizens of Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois, and the students they’ve impacted along the way.
Each student selected another graduate or class from a high school or college that wasn’t able to walk during their commencement. This took many forms, some adorned a hat, others did a life selfie calling out students by name, all of which gave voice to all the students who didn’t have the chance to walk but in a small way in Iowa they did.
Erin, a Class of 2020 graduate, spoke about how impactful her time at Southeastern Community College had been, as well as about the value of her degree. She acknowledged that while the past four years had been anything but easy, she knew they would provide her a lifetime of future opportunities. She spoke to students live streamed all over the country inspiring each to stand strong despite the adversity that they had been through.
John Schultz, a 2020 Distinguished Alumnus, served as the ceremonies’ Keynote Speaker. After graduating from Mediapolis High School, Schulz went on to serve in the Army National Guard and graduated from SCC in 1963. From there, he attended Iowa State University, earning an engineering degree before receiving his MBA from Xavier University. Schulz then moved to Ohio and began his career at General Motors in Dayton. There, he helped develop the first automotive air bag, even driving the first airbag-equipped vehicle out of Detroit.
After moving his family back to Burlington, Schulz purchased Klein Manufacturing, now called Flint Cliffs Manufacturing, and serves on the Southeast Iowa Regional Airport Board, the Community Foundation Board, and teaching Junior Achievement for a decade. He has earned the Business Person of the Year award, the Manufacturer of Distinction award, the Burlington Chamber’s Manufacturer of the Year honor, and was presented with the Mayor’s Award for rebuilding the snowflakes on Snake Alley.
In Iowa, the Blackhawks proved that graduation is more than just a ceremony, it’s a validation of commitment, triumph, and, for some, overcoming great obstacles. It always has been. For every student everywhere we tip our hats to your hard work. We can’t wait to see what is next for you.