If not for the COVID-19 pandemic, university commencement season would have kicked off this weekend with thousands of graduates walking across stages in Spokane and Pullman.

Instead, Washington State University held a systemwide virtual commencement on Saturday morning, ahead of plans for a rescheduled formal ceremony for the Pullman campus in August.

“You’ve persevered in the face of one of the most challenging times in modern history to reach this milestone moment in your life,” university President Kirk Schulz said during a YouTube livestream, while decked out in full academic regalia.

“I’m here today to tell you there are many reasons for hope. It’s that hopefulness, better known as Cougar spirit, that defines this university and binds us together,” Schulz continued. “For me, Cougar spirit is embodied by an insatiable curiosity about the world combined with a never-say-die attitude and willingness to work hard to succeed no matter the obstacles.”

Thayne McCulloh, president of Gonzaga University, which was scheduled to host graduation today, shared a video message with graduates on Friday afternoon. The school plans to hold an in-person ceremony Labor Day weekend.

“Well, graduates, you’ve made it,” McCulloh said in the video. “You have worked hard, conquered challenges and stretched yourself, maybe further than you ever thought possible.

“And then toward the end of that journey, this international pandemic we call COVID-19 has thwarted some important traditions and much-deserved celebrations. But I hope that in the days to come each of you feels stronger and more prepared because of, or in spite of, the challenges this season and time presented.”

Whitworth University student commencement speaker Almat Yeraly, a math major from Kazakhstan, hopes to still be in the United States for the school’s graduation in October, which was pushed from mid-May.

The pressure for him to find a post-grad job is higher than most, because his residency status depends on him finding a position by the end of summer. He hopes to find work in data analytics before pursuing an advanced degree in mathematics.

“You had this hope and idea of what you would be doing,” Yeraly said of those who are facing a bleak job market or have had employment offers rescinded. “But the way I’m looking at this is, this is not a race. I do believe we will go back to normal.

“Some things are not up to us, but we can control our actions. At some point, all of us will find something that we love doing.”

Yeraly said he chose to attend Whitworth because of the kind of community exemplified during a virtual presentation from university officials during his final year of high school in Kazakhstan.

“It gave me that feeling that people at Whitworth do care about each other,” he said.

That community, Yeraly said, became the theme of the speech he is supposed to give.

“I didn’t get to fully appreciate this community until probably my junior year,” Yeraly said. “So I wanted to talk about the fact that they should be proud of the community they were apart of and helped to form.”

Yeraly said he saw the Whitworth community rise to the occasion during the COVID-19 pandemic and address the hardships others were facing.

During virtual classes, professors focused on how students were coping and what problems they were facing, Yeraly said. He confided in one professor who helped him when he was worried about navigating the health care system if he contracted COVID-19.

“Physically we weren’t around, but we were there for each other,” Yeraly said. “We still have each other.”

When some students remaining in Spokane were concerned about grocery shopping due to underlying health issues like asthma and lung conditions, Yeraly said others volunteered to share their supplies or go to the store in their place.

While some international students remained on campus, some without the finances to do so faced problems with finding a place to stay, Yeraly said. So when two of his off-campus roommates went home for the rest of the year, they invited three international students to move in.

“It seems like sometimes (the pandemic) wants to pull us down,” Yeraly said. “I definitely felt that myself. But I know that all of us here at Whitworth are trying hard to stay connected. And we have to look for ways to help each other out and find grace and love.”

Kendra Bryson, a health sciences student who also plans to speak in October, said community – a “buzzword” at Whitworth – was also the theme of her speech.

“It’s overall the best thing I can pull from my Whitworth experience,” Bryson said. “And this (pandemic) has been an opportunity to rediscover how important community is.

“We’re entering into this world of uncertainty, but the one thing that isn’t going to change is we have people to back us up.”

Yeraly said it has been difficult to come to terms with the fact that he may not get to say goodbye to many people he may not see again.

“Everything that’s happening, there’s no one to blame, which makes it even harder,” Yeraly said. “But I feel like at some point in the long run maybe we’ll realize that whatever is happening made us only stronger.”

Whitworth’s faculty speaker, Haley Jacob, an assistant professor in theology, planned to speak about how a person’s identity informs their contribution to the world.

“COVID presents something entirely new within that,” said Jacob, who came to Whitworth five years ago. “It has provided opportunities to serve and assist.”

Jacob said finishing the school year virtually has been difficult, as many vital parts of her job involve face-to-face interaction.

“We lack the mentorship, we lack the good discussions,” Jacob said about online classes. “Most of what the job is, is not there.”

But Jacob said it’s important to maintain hope and remember nothing is guaranteed in life.

“We’re all going to be affected by (hardships) at various points in our lives, and for these students maybe this is one of those times,” Jacob said. Students may look back 10 years from now and see disappointment, “but very likely they’ll be able to look at their current circumstance and realize life is bigger than a moment or a season.”

Eastern Washington University canceled its in-person ceremony in June but plans to hold virtual commencement on the same day.

Ahead of that, a number of students from the health sciences campus in Spokane participated in a virtual ceremony Friday morning.

Camille Mercer, who earned her bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene this week, addressed peers from her department online. Because of the pandemic, exams to become a certified as a dental hygienist have been delayed, pushing back the day she could become employed.

“My overall message was that of celebration, congratulations and reflection,” Mercer said in an email. “We worked hard the last two years and deserve to be proud of how far we have come.

“Your growth and experience define your achievements, not a ceremony.”

Mark Peters, director of the Idaho National Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy research facility in Idaho Falls, was scheduled to speak about gratitude, perseverance, responsibility and empathy themes at the University of Idaho’s mid-May ceremony in Moscow.

“It’s actually interesting how it ties into COVID,” Peters about his first commencement speech for a four-year university.

Peters said graduates need to have gratitude for people who helped them reach their goals. Now it is especially important to thank workers protecting them on the front lines of the pandemic.

“Perseverance, we’re all living that,” said Peters, who noted everyone grows stronger by facing obstacles.

Systemic issues exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic showed the fragility of our society, Peters said, highlighting the responsibility to innovate moving forward.

Although “we’re all suffering to a degree,” Peters said having empathy and compassion for those who are facing the most extreme hardships is what defines a person.

Graduates shouldn’t be too discouraged about their employment prospects, Peters said.

“The recovery is going to require tremendous talent, so I think there’s going to be a lot of opportunity in the recovery,” Peters said.

“My thoughts are with them. This too shall pass, but I know it’s a difficult time.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated to reflect that Idaho National Laboratory Director Mark Peters was scheduled to speak at the University of Idaho’s Moscow campus, not the Boise campus.