Kean Class of 2024 Welcomes Halfway to Graduation Celebration!

By Julia Strugala

Incoming juniors will be commemorated for their accomplishments this month with a new “Halfway to Graduation Celebration” – an event that coincidentally has special significance for those who graduated high school in 2020 and missed a traditional graduation ceremony due to Covid 19.  

Barbara L Harmon-Francis, Vice President of the Division of Student Success and Retention which is sponsoring the event, said the goal is to recognize persistence of sophomores and going forward, it will be a signature Kean University event. 

“It takes a lot of time and energy to get through the first two years of college. Our goal is to let them know that we see them and we want them to continue to persist,” said Harmon-Francis. “Once they earn their college degree, a world of career possibilities is waiting for them. ” 

Class of 2024 President Jeremiah Monteiro said it is especially important to recognize the hard work and dedication of his class because most unfortunately did not receive that rite of passage graduating from high school.  

“I’ve personally heard many stories of fellow students not having a prom or even a graduation,” he said. “Valedictorians and athletes never getting the opportunity to leave their final mark. Close friends not being able to say goodbye for the very last time.” 

  He said he is honored that The Class of 2024 will be the first to enjoy the new celebration on two separate dates, Tuesday, March 29 and Tuesday, April 5.

 “These past two years were illustrated for us to crumble and fall but instead we rose and became even stronger than ever, ” Monteiro said.

Students who are invited, based on earned credits, can attend whichever date fits their schedule best. The ceremony will be held in the North Avenue Academic Building first floor auditorium at 3:00PM. Kean Online students can attend via Zoom if preferable.

“We don’t want to share all of our secrets, but we have a special event planned. Students will arrive on a red carpet, be given Kean memorabilia, and participate in a short ceremony. The ceremony will be followed by a dessert reception,” Harmon-Francis said. “More importantly, we want students to come as they are. They can dress up or down. It’s all about them and we want them to have fun”. 

Bridge to Success Scholar Morgan Douglas designed the logo for the first-time event. Douglas, an Early Childhood Education Major and a social media specialist for multiple Kean University accounts across Twitter, Tik Tok, and Instagram, said she is looking forward to celebrating.

“Education is a significant priority in my life, and I take pride in knowing I have put my best foot forward in being a high-achieving student and am halfway to my degree,” Douglas said.

Viviana Zambrano,  one of the co-chairs and also the Associate Director of the Bridge to Success Program, previously known as PASSPORT, said the event also supports the achievements of enrolled students in their journey. 

“Every student’s journey to graduation is different,” she said.  “Although graduation is the ultimate goal, we want to remind students that they should celebrate their small and big victories along the way,” 

As shared by Zambrano, the event is going to have “student speakers, spoken word, refreshments, and a small gift for each student participant. In addition we are raffling a few items during the ceremony to our students who attend in person and via zoom”. All students who are eligible to participate have received an invitation via Kean email. If you are one of those students and have any questions, they can be answered at halfwaythere@kean.edu.

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