It’s senior year, and graduation is canceled. Diplomas are being mailed out, and your final goodbyes are left up to your imagination. This is a waking nightmare for many, especially since many of their friends are moving to different parts of the country after this year. Although this may be the case, it doesn’t mean that you guys will need to lose touch. In this new century, technology reigns, and there are plenty of ways to communicate at the touch of a finger. 

Even if graduation no longer exists, there are ways to celebrate this final semester with your friends. First of all, there is everyone’s new best friend: Zoom. Take advantage of this! Call up your friends up, and have that happy hour you’d be having at KAM’s over Zoom. This can be just as fun, because the added pressure of dressing cute is alleviated, and all you have to do is show up. So go ahead and wear your PJs, drink some nice alcohol (instead of a nasty well) and spend some quality time with your friends. These little get-togethers can be done at any time. Since everyone is free almost all of the time, there shouldn’t be any reason someone can’t make it!

Even if there is no physical graduation, it is essential you still celebrate the fact you’ve graduated. Before the big day comes, you should get online and find that beautiful graduation dress. And when you do — buy it. It’s quarantine, and the world is at its tipping point, so go ahead and treat yourself. Once it comes in the mail, go ahead and make a whole day of it. You can beat your face with a gorgeous look inspired by one of those beauty tutorials we’ve all been watching. After that, put on your dress and force your parents (or siblings) to become your personal professional photographer.

To correctly have a graduation photo, you must pop a bottle of champagne, so be sure you have one on standby. Then you get to work! Go somewhere cute and take these photos as though it’s your high school senior photos. This will keep your Instagram active in these harsh times. Once you’re satisfied with your free photoshoot, go ahead and edit away.

A great idea would be having your friends do a shoot as well. By browsing YouTube and Google, you can figure out how to use Photoshop. To correctly do this you will need to take a photo with plenty of empty space in the background. Then you can go ahead and Photoshop your friends looking gorgeous into the background. Ta-da! Not only will you have absolutely professional photos but you will still have them with friends. Therefore graduation did happen, and you got to look stunning while doing it.

Although having to stay home may seem like it’s too terrible to be true (or in some cases: too good) there are some positives to this. First of all, this is your senior year, so this is the last time you will ever live at home with your parents, at least hopefully. You have to take advantage of this position. You now have a laundry service, a personal chef and you’re rich. No longer do you have to worry about money because your parents will cover it. Now, you never have to let your laundry pile up to the point where you’re down to one pair of underwear and you’re smelling your socks to see if they can be worn a third time. You’ve got a personal laundry washer who will do your clothes before you even think they need to be washed. Then, my personal favorite, you have a personal chef. Your parents can now make you food and they’ve been cooking for a lot longer than you, so this food will be gourmet compared to the ramen you’ve been eating. What’s not to like about all of this?

Even though quarantine may seem like the end of the world, there are many positives. Keeping a positive outlook will really help make this experience a happier one. In times of trouble, you’ve always got family, and you’ve always got laughter. So, enjoy this time with those you love and keep smiling because you are graduating. You have completed a huge milestone in your life and this is something you will remember forever. Be proud of yourself, celebrate these accomplishments even if you have to do it from the comfort of your own home.

As you step into your new life as a real adult don’t let this experience draw away from the overall experience of college: Quarantine is just a setback. Leave college with a smile and know that you’ve done it. You’ve graduated. All those tears and all-nighters weren’t for nothing because you have a degree. Be proud of yourself and know that if you can finish strong while your world has been turned upside down, you can do anything.

Bella is a junior in LAS.

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