University Of Denver Celebrates 2020 Graduates After Their Original Ceremony Was Canceled Due To COVID

DENVER (CBS4) - Students from the graduating class of 2020 were finally honored in person at the University of Denver. It came after they were denied the opportunity to walk across the stage at the originally planned time due to the COVID pandemic.

Deborah Davis, 57, was one of the graduates whose in-person ceremony was canceled and replaced with a virtual ceremony last year.

"We all knew at some point I guess within the following weeks that graduation was not going to occur, but it was real when they didn't put it on the website. So, I was disappointed," Davis said.

The disappointment faded a year later, when the 2020 graduates received a message that the university was going to be honor them in an in-person ceremony.

"I was thrilled because the amount of work you put in. You want to be recognized," Davis said.

Out of the more than 3,000 members of the graduating class of 2020, about 500 made their way back to campus over the weekend to celebrate in one of four different ceremonies. That was the plan University of Denver Chancellor Dr. Jeremy Haefner had since last May.

"We made the commitment that we were going to celebrate our class of 2020," Haefner said. "But we still wanted the tradition, in-person ceremony with a commencement speaker, and official conferral of degrees."

The smaller ceremonies were held at Magness Arena. Combining the 2020 graduates with the 2021 graduating class, University of Denver will be putting on 21 ceremonies.

"Couldn't be more proud about doing it," Haefner said.

As for Deborah, she lives in Maryland and spent seven years earning her degree online. She now heads back home with a Master of Science degree in Environmental Policy Management.

"I know the struggle that I had to go through because I'm working a full-time. I studied at night, sometimes all night and I got it done and I wanted to celebrate me," she said.