The Class of 2020 is as unforgettable as the year. Young and not-so-young people across the globe are setting aside the vision they had for graduation celebrations and commencement ceremonies to create a whole new set of traditions that may or may not be relevant in years to come. They are pushing the capacity and stretching the imagination of online interactions, instead of parading down an aisle to a stage in a bland auditorium, some schools commencement ceremonies are actual parades...of cars. Yard signs mark the homes of graduates and FaceTime congratulations are a new norm. The traditional cap and gown is donned with a new flair, unbound by the rules of protocol or institution. Pandemic grads are in a class by themselves, gathered together on a global stage, witnesses, innocent bystanders and unwitting participants to an epic moment in human history.
To help document this moment in history and to honor the lost experiences and future adventures of our local graduates, Bellevue Lifestyle reached out to students of all ages to find out what they are thinking, where they are going, and to help us find the words...and the hashtags to describe 2020 to the students of 3020. If their strength and optimism is any indication, the future looks bright.