Salus University’s Drive-Thru Commencement Ceremony Unique and Special
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Salus University’s Drive-Thru Commencement Ceremony Unique and Special
Because of the pandemic and geographical distance, Samuel Thomas hadn’t seen his daughter face-to-face in nearly two years. But he wasn’t going to miss her graduation from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University.
Thomas traveled four and a half hours by plane from St. Vincent and the Grenadines island chain in the Caribbean to see daughter Zoe Thomas OD ‘21, receive her degree.
Dr. Thomas was the final graduate to walk across the temporary stage in the half-circle in front of the Elkins Park, Pennsylvania campus parking lot that was erected solely for the purpose of the University’s first-ever drive-thru graduate recognition ceremony.
The 122nd commencement ceremony was unique in that it offered both a virtual and an in-person option for the graduates and their families over the course of three days. While the spring and fall 2020 commencement ceremonies were virtual only because of pandemic safety rules, the University tried to make the commencement experience as special and inclusive as it could while being planned.
To keep the ceremony moving, families and friends were asked to stay in their vehicles while their graduates crossed the stage, where they were able to take pictures, honk their horns and support the accomplishments.
