The Class of 2024: The road from virtual classes to college graduation
Hofstra University student Antonio Collado on campus in Hempstead on Thursday. Credit: Newsday / J. Conrad Williams Jr.
College students in the Class of 2024 started four years ago in a pandemic with virtual classes and the rituals of freshman year lost to masks and social distancing.
They are now about to graduate during a time when some campuses locally and nationwide have erupted in pro-Palestinian protests and unrest. With commencement just days away for thousands of Long Island students, educators say they are a resilient group who have endured a challenging four years to earn their degrees.
Their high school graduations may have been online, outdoors or drive-by affairs. Proms and parties were canceled as their in-person senior year abruptly ended in mid-March 2020 due to COVID-19 fears. The pandemic influenced their first years in college, too, with virtual instruction or hybrid learning and an introduction to higher education that was anything but typical.
“What we see with this cohort is incredible resilience,” said Merry McVey-Noble, Hofstra University's executive director of student counseling services. “They're really going after the things that they want … We see them being very passionate in their pursuit of their education, their internships, their career goals.
“… And we see them now so excited to walk at graduation.”
The local graduation season kicks off on Long Island with commencement at LIU Post in Brookville on Tuesday. Here are the stories of some outstanding graduates:
The 21-year-old triplets from Hicksville all didn’t plan to attend Long Island University when they were in high school, but it worked out that way. The three have been commuter students and are now ready for commencement.
Shayla and Ryan majored in education and Brandon in computer science. They were in some of the same classes freshman and sophomore years.
“That was a nice way to start because we were able to help each other out during the first few years,” Ryan Kaim said.
Commencement also will mark the end of their academic journey together. By next year, Shayla and Ryan will remain at LIU for graduate school while Brandon enters the field of either cybersecurity or software development.
The siblings graduated in 2020 from Hicksville High School during the pandemic, and their high school graduation was held under restrictions. They are excited for the upcoming LIU ceremony — each graduate gets 10 tickets for guests and they said they may use all 30.
Their younger brother, Sean, who is 17, plans to attend LIU in the fall. Shayla Kaim said she took out student loans to help finance her education, Brandon received a full scholarship to the school and Ryan received some scholarship money as well.
They are all graduating with honors.
“There were times where Ryan, Brandon and I were in the same class,” Shayla Kaim said. “If I had a question, I always had someone to go to. I felt like they just guided me along the way.”
Graduating from Valley Stream Central High School during the pandemic meant a drive-by recognition event, a socially distanced graduation and canceled prom and graduation parties for Antonio Collado, now 21.
The experience of living through a global event ended up influencing Collado to study biochemical research. He will graduate from Hofstra University on May 19 with a degree in biochemistry. He plans to pursue graduate work and eventually earn his PhD.
At first, he was not sure whether he wanted to research the development of pharmaceuticals or pursue a degree in medicine.
“So when COVID happened, my thought process was that there will be future pandemics to come because there's so many diseases that we haven't discovered,” he said, adding that he wanted to focus on infectious and genetic disease research.
He will be joined at the commencement ceremony by family, including several who are coming from out of town. He also plans to attend a banquet for chemistry majors and an ice cream after party as well. It’s very different, he said, from his high school experience when he finished at Valley Stream Central.
“I can’t wait for commencement because I feel like graduating college is such a bigger achievement than high school,” he said. “One of the professors always tells me and my friends that we're a very gifted class … We got through this — we can conquer anything.”
It took nearly two decades for Tracie Esposito, of East Moriches, to reach her goal of earning a bachelor's degree from St. Joseph's University in Patchogue. Esposito had endured a childhood trauma, was a stay-at-home mom for years and started her own custom apron business from her home. She's now looking forward to taking part in the May 23 commencement ceremony with her friends and family.
She plans to decorate her cap with the phrase: “Speed Doesn't Matter. Forward is Forward.”
“Graduation day initially was just going to be me and my husband and my daughter and then I said, ‘No, you just need to celebrate,’ ” said Esposito, 48. So she got 10 tickets and is having 10 family members attend.
“… I want to show up for myself,” she said. “I want my daughter to see that hard work pays off.”
She earned a bachelor's degree in general studies with a minor in psychology and has a 4.0 grade point average.
She started sewing as a young teen and continued throughout life. She considered sewing as part of her therapy after her father died in a plane crash when she was 11. Esposito wanted to enter the design field and graduated from Nassau Community College with an associate degree. She worked for a design firm in Manhattan and was asked to be a teaching assistant at Nassau. She wanted to work full time there, but needed a bachelor's degree.
Esposito started taking classes at St. Joseph's. In 2006, she found out she was pregnant. She paused her education to raise her daughter, Madison. While staying at home, she started a custom apron business, and her product has been sold in more than 40 countries. When the pandemic hit, she closed the business and sewed hundreds of masks that she donated. Meanwhile, she was working with a therapist on her own trauma, and in 2021 she decided to go back to college. She would go on to meet with admissions at St. Joseph's.
“Something happened where I just blew off the dust off my files from St. Joe's and I said I have to go back,” she said. She earned enough credits to graduate this month and in the fall of 2025, Madison, who is now a junior at Center Moriches High School, plans to attend the school, too.
With her degree, Esposito said she would like to incorporate sewing into therapy to help others. She'd like to work with children.
“Sewing gives them something tangible that they can do with their hands and gets you in the flow state of creativity,” she said. “And I didn't know that this is what was saving me. And so now I want to save others.”
With Michael Ebert
College students in the Class of 2024 started four years ago in a pandemic with virtual classes and the rituals of freshman year lost to masks and social distancing.
They are now about to graduate during a time when some campuses locally and nationwide have erupted in pro-Palestinian protests and unrest. With commencement just days away for thousands of Long Island students, educators say they are a resilient group who have endured a challenging four years to earn their degrees.
Their high school graduations may have been online, outdoors or drive-by affairs. Proms and parties were canceled as their in-person senior year abruptly ended in mid-March 2020 due to COVID-19 fears. The pandemic influenced their first years in college, too, with virtual instruction or hybrid learning and an introduction to higher education that was anything but typical.
“What we see with this cohort is incredible resilience,” said Merry McVey-Noble, Hofstra University's executive director of student counseling services. “They're really going after the things that they want … We see them being very passionate in their pursuit of their education, their internships, their career goals.
WHAT TO KNOW
- College students in the Class of 2024 started out four years ago in a pandemic with virtual classes and the rituals of freshman year lost to masks and social distancing.
- With commencement just days away for thousands of Long Island students, educators say they are a resilient group who have endured a challenging four years to earn their degrees.
- The local graduation season kicks off on Long Island with LIU’s commencement on Tuesday.
“… And we see them now so excited to walk at graduation.”
The local graduation season kicks off on Long Island with commencement at LIU Post in Brookville on Tuesday. Here are the stories of some outstanding graduates:
Triplets Brandon, Shayla and Ryan Kaim from Hicksville will graduate from LIU Post together. They are pictured on May 3 at LIU Post in Brookville. Credit: Dawn McCormick
Shayla, Ryan and Brandon Kaim
The 21-year-old triplets from Hicksville all didn’t plan to attend Long Island University when they were in high school, but it worked out that way. The three have been commuter students and are now ready for commencement.
Shayla and Ryan majored in education and Brandon in computer science. They were in some of the same classes freshman and sophomore years.
“That was a nice way to start because we were able to help each other out during the first few years,” Ryan Kaim said.
Commencement also will mark the end of their academic journey together. By next year, Shayla and Ryan will remain at LIU for graduate school while Brandon enters the field of either cybersecurity or software development.
The siblings graduated in 2020 from Hicksville High School during the pandemic, and their high school graduation was held under restrictions. They are excited for the upcoming LIU ceremony — each graduate gets 10 tickets for guests and they said they may use all 30.
Their younger brother, Sean, who is 17, plans to attend LIU in the fall. Shayla Kaim said she took out student loans to help finance her education, Brandon received a full scholarship to the school and Ryan received some scholarship money as well.
They are all graduating with honors.
“There were times where Ryan, Brandon and I were in the same class,” Shayla Kaim said. “If I had a question, I always had someone to go to. I felt like they just guided me along the way.”
Hofstra University student Antonio Collado on campus in Hempstead on May 2. Credit: Newsday / J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Antonio Collado
Graduating from Valley Stream Central High School during the pandemic meant a drive-by recognition event, a socially distanced graduation and canceled prom and graduation parties for Antonio Collado, now 21.
The experience of living through a global event ended up influencing Collado to study biochemical research. He will graduate from Hofstra University on May 19 with a degree in biochemistry. He plans to pursue graduate work and eventually earn his PhD.
At first, he was not sure whether he wanted to research the development of pharmaceuticals or pursue a degree in medicine.
“So when COVID happened, my thought process was that there will be future pandemics to come because there's so many diseases that we haven't discovered,” he said, adding that he wanted to focus on infectious and genetic disease research.
He will be joined at the commencement ceremony by family, including several who are coming from out of town. He also plans to attend a banquet for chemistry majors and an ice cream after party as well. It’s very different, he said, from his high school experience when he finished at Valley Stream Central.
“I can’t wait for commencement because I feel like graduating college is such a bigger achievement than high school,” he said. “One of the professors always tells me and my friends that we're a very gifted class … We got through this — we can conquer anything.”
St. Joseph's University college student Tracie Esposito on campus in Patchogue on Thursday. Credit: James Carbone
Tracie Esposito
It took nearly two decades for Tracie Esposito, of East Moriches, to reach her goal of earning a bachelor's degree from St. Joseph's University in Patchogue. Esposito had endured a childhood trauma, was a stay-at-home mom for years and started her own custom apron business from her home. She's now looking forward to taking part in the May 23 commencement ceremony with her friends and family.
She plans to decorate her cap with the phrase: “Speed Doesn't Matter. Forward is Forward.”
“Graduation day initially was just going to be me and my husband and my daughter and then I said, ‘No, you just need to celebrate,’ ” said Esposito, 48. So she got 10 tickets and is having 10 family members attend.
“… I want to show up for myself,” she said. “I want my daughter to see that hard work pays off.”
She earned a bachelor's degree in general studies with a minor in psychology and has a 4.0 grade point average.
She started sewing as a young teen and continued throughout life. She considered sewing as part of her therapy after her father died in a plane crash when she was 11. Esposito wanted to enter the design field and graduated from Nassau Community College with an associate degree. She worked for a design firm in Manhattan and was asked to be a teaching assistant at Nassau. She wanted to work full time there, but needed a bachelor's degree.
Esposito started taking classes at St. Joseph's. In 2006, she found out she was pregnant. She paused her education to raise her daughter, Madison. While staying at home, she started a custom apron business, and her product has been sold in more than 40 countries. When the pandemic hit, she closed the business and sewed hundreds of masks that she donated. Meanwhile, she was working with a therapist on her own trauma, and in 2021 she decided to go back to college. She would go on to meet with admissions at St. Joseph's.
“Something happened where I just blew off the dust off my files from St. Joe's and I said I have to go back,” she said. She earned enough credits to graduate this month and in the fall of 2025, Madison, who is now a junior at Center Moriches High School, plans to attend the school, too.
With her degree, Esposito said she would like to incorporate sewing into therapy to help others. She'd like to work with children.
“Sewing gives them something tangible that they can do with their hands and gets you in the flow state of creativity,” she said. “And I didn't know that this is what was saving me. And so now I want to save others.”
With Michael Ebert
COMMENCEMENT SCHEDULE
- Adelphi University, May 21, undergraduates at 10:30 a.m., graduates at 4 p.m., Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
- Farmingdale State College, May 16 at 11 a.m., Nold Athletic Complex
- Five Towns College, May 23 at 10 a.m., Performing Arts Center at Five Towns College
- Hofstra University, May 19 at 9 a.m., 1 p.m., 5 p.m. at the Mack Sports & Exhibition Complex on campus
- LIU Post (Long Island University), May 14 at 10:30 a.m. at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium
- Molloy University, May 20 at 1 p.m. at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
- Nassau Community College, May 22 at 7 p.m. at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
- New York Institute of Technology, May 19 at 9 a.m. at New York Tech's Long Island campus
- SUNY Old Westbury, May 22 at noon at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
- St. Joseph's University, May 23 at noon at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
- Stony Brook University, May 17 at 11 a.m. at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium
- Suffolk County Community College, May 16 at 2 p.m., Suffolk Credit Union Arena on the Michael J. Grant Campus in Brentwood
- Touro Law Center, May 23 at 1 p.m., Tilles Center for the Performing Arts
- Webb Institute, June 15 at 2:30 p.m. at the Webb Institute
Joie Tyrrell is a Long Island native and covers education for Newsday, where she has worked since 1998.
