Around this time last year, senior students were in a panic about what was to become of their graduation ceremony. One year later, it’s our turn to graduate, and it seems we can’t be bothered to inquire about where this ceremony will take place, or how.

We suspect there are a few reasons why this year’s seniors are less adamant to find out where or how their ceremony will take place. For one, we know what happens when you get your hopes up. Last year’s seniors were abruptly met with the news that their ceremony was going to be postponed. They held out hope for so long, their ceremony getting pushed back time after time. None of us believed that we’d still be in a pandemic a year later. We know how upset our senior friends were last year, so it’s a form of protection to avoid high expectations.

Second, we’re exhausted. Last year’s seniors definitely had to go through the whole initial shock of being sent home, and quickly too. This year, though, we’ve already experienced a year of let-downs, so why expect anything to return to normal at this point? We’ve been occupied with Zoom meetings, breakdowns, crying spells, and trying to get through each day.

Sometimes, when you’ve endured a whole year facing loss, even graduation ceremonies can begin to feel like one of the smaller worries in life.