Virtual Senior Banquet Celebrates the Class of 2021

Seniors graduating in May and December, 2021 recently celebrated their passage through the PSE program at the annual senior banquet. Despite not being able to have this event  in person, the “freeness bell” was still rung for each senior and the closeness of our class was felt on a virtual format. Using a platform called Gatherly,  the seniors were able to mingle and form huddles with faculty, parents, and other students over the course of the night

Freeness Bell Rings Loud and Proud

After a brief greeting from Dr. Byrd and Jennifer Piercy, the guests had time to socialize and eat dinner. It was a great opportunity for students and parents to connect with professors they don’t often see, and the online platform facilitated these discussions very well. Remarks from Dr. Byrd and Jennifer, as well as the traditional ringing of the freeness bell soon followed to commemorate the students’ achievements. The night also included the much-anticipated student and faculty skits which were very entertaining even when made completely virtually. The faculty came up with creative captions for old pictures of the students while the students played videos from the social media platform Vine, that best represented each professor. Many of the attendees even stayed on the platform in video calls well after the event was officially over to socialize and commemorate the transition to becoming alumni.

Celebrating the Beginning of the End

It truly felt like a celebration of making it to the end of the program. One of the best parts of being in the Paper Science and Engineering family is the close connection that is formed with everyone involved. The banquet was a great opportunity for to reflect on the journey that this group of seniors has taken over the last several years, including the unique challenges of the past year. While not quite the same as senior banquets that other graduating classes have taken part in, this year’s senior banquet was still a great way to mark this exciting milestone and we are grateful for the effort by everyone to bring about this event. Senior Banquet Photos