Day of celebration at NIU caps semester marked by tragedy
In a semester defined by tragedy and triumph, Saturday's commencement ceremonies at Northern Illinois University were an opportunity for celebration.
During three ceremonies stretching from 9 a.m. to past 8 p.m., more than 2,500 Huskies - NIU's Class of 2008 - graduated in the university's Convocation Center.
The ceremonies came just three months after a gunman stormed into a Cole Hall classroom, killing five students and wounding 18 others before taking his own life.
The added significance of the event was not lost on students, who observed a moment of silence and cheered as the families of three of the five students who were slain on Feb. 14 received posthumous degrees.
But the ceremonies were otherwise free of the mournful and somber atmosphere that pervaded the DeKalb campus in the weeks after the shooting.
University President John Peters, who became the public face of NIU after the Valentine's Day slayings, told students the tragedy made them stronger.
"All of us have received the bittersweet gift of perspective," Peters said. "We could not control the circumstances that gave us this gift of perspective, but each of us can learn how to use it."
Peters' message resonated with students.
Broadcast journalism graduate Reginald Brown said the events of Feb. 14 "kind of put things in perspective, that life is too short … because nobody ever wakes up and thinks it's the last (day)."
The family of Gayle Dubowski, of Carol Stream, one of the shooting victims, was met with a standing ovation when the university awarded a posthumous degree at the morning ceremony for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
The families of two other victims - Catalina Garcia of Cicero and Julianna Gehant of Mendota - were to receive honorary degrees at the evening ceremony for the College of Education.
The families of two others - Ryanne Mace of Carpentersville and Westchester native Dan Parmenter - have chosen to receive degrees at a later date.
Saturday's graduates said the gesture to honor their former classmates was both moving and appropriate.
"I thought it was really respectable. I thought that was really impressive," said Sarah Burlingham, who graduated with a bachelor's in psychology. "It was really moving."
As they posed with their families and rung the bell in front of the convocation center, graduates reflected on the academic and emotional trials of the past semester.
"In terms of school work, it wasn't that bad, but emotionally it was very difficult," said Shawn Andrews, who earned a bachelor's in sociology. "It's bittersweet."
Graduates said the support of the university helped them pull through.
"It was a hard moment … but I think our school staff tried their best to make us feel comfortable after the shooting," said Bei Bei Hu, who graduated with a master's in statistics.
The excitement and pageantry of graduation, however, left the NIU Huskies little time to dwell on the tragic events of Feb. 14.
In most ways, NIU's graduates were like any other school's - euphoric at their achievements, worried about their futures, already missing their classmates.
"It's an end of an era," said Patrick Bushaw, who earned a bachelor's in political science and history. "On to bigger and better things - I guess."