Dozens of students at a South Florida University had to celebrate their graduation a little differently this year, as the coronavirus has forced many schools to go online.
17 nursing students at Barry University attended a virtual graduation - with families tuning in via a livestream.
It was a bittersweet moment for many of the graduates.
“It’s very overwhelming in a good way to see the school come together to be able to give us that opportunity to get together and celebrate it,” one of the graduates, Kimberly Porche, said.
The university decided to expedite the ceremony a month early to get students into the field as soon as possible, in order to help in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
“Now we get to go into that fight and we get to help as many people as we can and be part of that,” Porche said.
The newly-minted professionals in cardiovascular perfusion will provide critical care for heart and lung machines.
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The University hopes to have its next virtual graduation for another batch of healthcare professionals – anesthesiologists – on April 25th.
