Yamilet Arroyo and her Roosevelt High School classmates started their high school careers at home, staring at their computer screens, connecting with students and teachers remotely in the fall of 2020.
But they ended their high school journey with a traditional in-person ceremony, throwing their maroon mortarboard caps in the air Friday at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
“I will remember you as the class of the Google Meet, the class of, ‘Yes, miss, we can see your screen,’” said Kristin Jensen, a Roosevelt social studies teacher, who addressed the class during the ceremony.
But once they were back in person—some came back at the very end of their freshman year, and the whole class started sophomore year in person—the class developed a distinct and caring personality, she said.
“You are the class of bringing friends coffee treats and daily cookies,” she said. “You are the class that stood by each other as teachers dominated the senior-staff basketball game. I will remember you as the class that cheered each other on as you shared your paths for after high school.”
Some students told Sahan Journal that starting ninth grade online because of the COVID-19 pandemic marked a gentle transition into high school. But some recounted serious challenges that year.
During Arroyo’s year of distance learning, her mom fell sick with COVID. She was hospitalized and bedridden for a month. Arroyo did not expect she would survive. She recalled logging in for online classes while her mother lay seriously ill a few feet away.
But her mother pulled through. And on Friday, she watched her daughter walk across the Minneapolis Convention Center stage to receive her high school diploma.
Arroyo wore colorful stoles, medals, and cords to signify the academic honors she had earned. Underneath her cap, she had attached photos of her friends and family. And she decorated the top of her cap with a dedication: “Para mi mami, que trabaja duro pa que nunca me falte nada.” (For my mom, who works hard so I will never lack anything.)
“She raised me by herself, and I just wanted some kind of way to commemorate her today,” Arroyo said.
Cady Davis, the class speaker, noted the challenges the class had been through.
“We learned to collaborate and connect while stuck behind our computer screens,” said Davis, who plans to attend Macalester College in the fall. “We learned to organize and take action for racial justice.”
Students had also supported their teachers and education support professionals on the picket line when they went on strike two years ago, she said. “We even learned to enjoy an extra week of winter break after some hackers stole all of our personal data.”
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The last year had represented more normalcy, she said, including athletic victories, concerts, and student assemblies.
“We have finally had the opportunity to enjoy a more typical American high school experience, for which I’m grateful,” she said. “That said, we’ve learned that what’s typical is not always what’s right.”
Stepping forward
Graduation day brought mixed emotions for Roosevelt’s class of 2024.
Naima Machado, who plans to study marketing management and chemistry at the University of St. Thomas, said she thought she would be more upset at leaving the classmates she’d been attending school with since prekindergarten. But when the day arrived, graduation felt more like something to “check it off the list.”
One of the most important lessons she learned in high school was self-confidence, Naima said.
“Having that confidence in myself is actually what gives me the ability to do it—building that confidence and knowing that it’s going to be okay,” she said. “No matter how much work I have to put in, it’s going to end up all right.”
Before the ceremony, Majida Mohamed, who plans to attend the University of Minnesota next year, felt stressed trying to find her family among the crowd. But she also reflected on her next steps in life. She plans to work at the airport this summer and study Arabic. And in the future, she’s considering medical school, but she also wants to write and teach English abroad.
“The whole goal was to finish high school,” Majida said. “Now, I can settle down a little bit and begin to think about what I want to do, not what I need to do.”
Sydney McGrath, Roosevelt’s National Honor Society president, hopes to spend time being present with her loved ones and living in the moment this summer.
“Just trying to take in the last few moments with my family instead of like, going to watch a movie—find a way to actually bond with them with the time we have left,” said McGrath, who plans to attend Yale University in the fall.
Arroyo, whose mother had struggled with COVID, was excited about her future. She plans to attend Dougherty Family College at the University of St. Thomas next year. Thanks to a scholarship, she won’t have to take on any student debt her first year.
“As a first-generation graduate, it’s such a big deal,” she said.
Ultimately, Arroyo plans to head to medical school.
“I want to be a neurosurgeon,” she said. “Big dreams. And I think I’m going to keep those big dreams and continue to strive for them.”
