Colorado School of Mines graduates celebrate accomplishments, resilience after pandemic

The students who graduated high school in 2020 were resilient.

They had to be.

Amid COVID-19 shutdowns and restrictions, many of them spent their final weeks of high school in virtual classrooms, having prom over Zoom and graduating at drive-thru ceremonies.

Now, four years later, many of them are making up for all the end-of-high school experiences they missed with their college graduations.

On May 10, hundreds of Colorado School of Mines graduates, their family members, friends and other supporters went the extra mile to celebrate their special day. There were hugs and handshakes all around, photos galore, and special apparel to commemorate the day.

“We’ve been waiting for this for eight years,” graduate Ollie Noyes said.

The university went all-out for the Class of 2024’s graduation ceremonies, with indoor fireworks, special Engineer’s Hats for sale, and other unique touches this year. This was partly to celebrate the Class of 2024’s resilience, along with the university’s 150th anniversary this year, the university explained.

Mechanical engineering graduates Cassie Routsis and Taylor Henry both felt Mines did a good job making the ceremony feel special.

Routsis, who’s in the Blue Key Honor Society, said she’s been involved in other graduation ceremonies during her time at Mines. But, this May, the university went “all-out,” she said.

Colten Kristie, a fellow mechanical engineering graduate, added: “Mines pulled out all the stops.”

Several of the Mines graduates felt bad for their peers at other universities whose graduation ceremonies were canceled because of pro-Palestine protests.

They believed their peers deserved to celebrate their accomplishments, especially because they also missed out on traditional high school graduations because of the pandemic.

Many of them had drive-thru ceremonies in their school parking lots that were also livestreamed for those who couldn’t make it in-person. Some like Henry and Katie Lake said their graduating classes were small enough that they were able to host a modified ceremony spread out on the football field or similar space.

Physics graduate Caleb Clark said his high school graduation was “a little underwhelming.” He and fellow physics graduate Ben Hummel remarked how graduation ceremonies — whether high school or college — are so important because they solidify how much the graduates have accomplished.

“Graduation represents a significant marking point in life,” Hummel said. “ … It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

‘Mines climbs together’

Not only were their high school graduations unorthodox, but their first semesters of college were too.

Noyes described the Class of 2024 as “a super-motivated group” because the students “still came to college when nothing was going on.”

Hummel and Clark recalled how rough those first few months were: Students were juggling remote classes, masks mandates, and other social distancing directives.

But, despite that, they still managed to connect.

Routsis and Henry said they met while living on the same floor in the dorms their freshman year, and remained friends throughout their time at Mines.

Hummel and Clark, likewise, said some of their best friends at Mines were people they met their first few weeks there.

Contrastingly, teammates Lake, Kristie and Noyes didn’t become friends until earlier this academic year, when they were on the same capstone design project team. The 13-person team made an electric vehicle, which won Best in Show at the 2024 Senior Design Showcase.

Kristie recalled a common phrase from his freshman year: “Mines climbs together.” He said it felt especially poignant after everything the Class of 2024 Orediggers had overcome together.

He and Noyes described how, because of the rigorous academics, Mines students face unique challenges that only their fellow Orediggers would understand. Because of that, they look out for each other, and they’re always willing to lend a hand, a hug or anything a fellow student might need, they described.

“The community here is unlike any other school in the nation,” Noyes continued.

Routsis and Henry also described how much Mines students lean on each other for support, and how resilient and adaptable Orediggers are in general — especially the Class of 2024.

Along with their families, they said their fellow students and professors were crucial in helping them reach this point. So, having traditional graduation ceremonies where they could all celebrate together was even more meaningful, they said.

Kristie and Noyes said it was a “happy coincidence” their class was graduating during the university’s sesquicentennial year. So, they were happy Mines “went the extra mile to recognize all the hardships we had to face.”

Click through additional photos from the May 10 graduation celebrations: