San Jose City College postponed the Vietnamese Student Association graduation ceremony until the summer because of the coronavirus shelter-in-place order.
“I don’t really think we’re going be able to hold any big types of gatherings,” said SJCC president Rowena M. Tomenang. “We don’t know how much we can slow down the virus because we are still in the early stages of the acceleration.”
Since everything is switched to a remote format, an online alternative graduation format has been suggested during the shelter-in-place order.
“It will be a very different celebration,” Tomenang said. “You don’t have your families and your friends.” Most VSA club members voted against the online celebration and suggested it be postponed until the summer.
“If I have to choose between doing it online or waiting until the summer, it is better to do it physically in the summer,” said Ly Truong, president of the VSA club.
Club members were also unsure how an online ceremony would compare with an in-person one.
“I don’t know how the online format is going to work,” said Tram Nguyen, VSA club secretary. “My choice is to postpone it until the summer.”
Some students moved to the U.S. after high school in Vietnam so they want to have a physical graduation experience rather than an online version.
“A lot of these students haven’t been exposed to a U.S. graduation ceremony before,” said Thuy Cao, a Vietnamese counselor who is in charge of the VSA club. “That is the reason why they would rather have an in-person experience.”
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