Due to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), everyone is told to stay at home. Mass gatherings are prohibited – and that includes classes and the usual end-of-school-year rites such as graduations and moving up ceremonies.
A lot of students felt dismayed about not being able to march on stage to receive their medals and diplomas. They were not able to bid goodbye to their friends – and there’s no party after the event to celebrate their accomplishments! This has clearly been one of the bleakest years for students in modern history.
Photo credit: Clarisse Velasco / Facebook
Clarisse Velasco was supposed to graduate from senior high school. Just like many others, she was unable to enjoy her graduation ceremony and party. In fact, there was none! This saddened the young lady so much as she had been looking forward to this wonderful milestone in her student life.
Understanding what Clarisse feels, her family decided to surprise her with a creative graduation at home. They prepared a short program that highlights the moments of Clarisse’s student life. They made sure it felt authentic by playing the graduation march.
This creative family even found a way to make Clarisse wear a white ‘toga’, made her some graduation ribbons, and printed cutouts of her friends so she can also enjoy the moment with them. It is not like the real thing, of course, but the effort was worth every smile on Clarisse’s face!
Photo credit: Henry Alvir / Facebook
They even gave her a huge bouquet of sunflowers to celebrate the big event and created a ‘diploma’, as if she really graduated. Then, they posed for a post-graduation family photo. It was truly sweet of her family to do this!
Her proud grandpa also posted the family’s ‘graduation’ photos on his Facebook account, proudly announcing that Clarisse plans to become a doctor someday.
“Let us congratulate my dear apo Clarisse Velasco who had a virtual Grade 12 graduation recently at their residence in Fairview. (She’s the daughter of my Nephew Joey Velasco, the renowned religious painter of the Phils) She’s a product of the School of the Holy Spirit in QC & will pursue her dream to be a doctor someday. Cheers!” wrote Henry Alvir.
Photo credit: Henry Alvir / Facebook
Congratulations, Clarisse!
