UNL students graduate despite adversity from COVID-19

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s graduation was filled with emotion on Saturday.

The graduates, many of whom arrived at UNL in 2020, didn’t get a proper sendoff from high school because of COVID-19.

“I’m so excited,” Sarah Frett said. “It’s fun to finally be in the same room as our class together.”

Frett said it was hard starting with all of her classes online.

“And we didn’t get all of the initial orientation stuff, so meeting people was really hard initially,” she said. “But just these last couple of years, it’s been really good getting into the groove and meeting everyone.”

Frett isn’t alone.

Thousands of graduates this year are walking across the stage and receiving a diploma in person for the first time.

Em Paquette was a freshman when the pandemic hit. She’s now graduating after five years of schooling.

“I took an extra year, probably because of COVID,” she said. “Getting kicked off of campus my freshman year really changed my college career. It changed what I wanted to do. I switched majors after that.”

Paquette said it also changed how she looked at university life.

“For a while, it made me not like it,” she said. “But ultimately, within a year after COVID first started, I realized the true beauty of it. That I got to have a different experience than anyone else.”

She said she’s proud of overcoming the adversity.

“Making it to my college graduation is more emotional than I thought,” Paquette said. “I made a vow to myself at high school graduation that I was going to make it here. Even though it took me an extra year, it’s very important that I’m here.”

Both Paquette and Frett are continuing their education.

Paquette wants to go to law school and Frett is going to graduate school to become an occupational therapist.