A commencement like no other
Wearing protective face masks, Yingzi Zhang, left, a December 2019 graduate with a bachelor's degree in psychology now working on campus, and Qiuhong Li, graduating with a bachelor's degree in computer science and statistics, stop for a picture at Alumni Park. Both are international students from China.
A string of balloons honoring the Class of 2020 adorns the doorstep of a house near campus.
Photographer Jeff Miller holds a printout of a photo of the 2019 Spring Commencement as he makes a contrasting image of an empty Camp Randall Stadium on May 5. In a normal year the football field would have been filled with crews preparing it to host an in-person commencement ceremony.
At left, married graduates Djeneba Nana and Loic Nombre pose for photos with family members at Alumni Park. Both graduated with master's degrees in accounting.
Three mortarboard-capped women sit in silhouette and look out over the glistening water of Lake Mendota.
A group of housemates who are sheltering in place together enjoy a fire outside their house, in honor of several new UW–Madison graduates in their midst.
With global COVID-19 pandemic disrupting the familiar patterns of life, the closing chapter of spring commencement this past weekend was uncharted territory for UW–Madison’s graduating of Class of 2020.
Pictured in a selfie, photographer Jeff Miller wears a face mask and continues adhering to social-distancing practices while working during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The campus remained closed and major venues sat empty. Programs of pomp and circumstance were delivered virtually and in-person celebrations with family and friends were often limited in size and became practices in social distancing.
This surreal time was nothing like the preceding 29 springtime ceremonies that I have photographed in my career as a photographer for University Communications at UW–Madison.
Still, a tenacious Badger spirit to be physically present remained, and I was compelled to document and share a few of these found stories of human connection. These are a few of the unchanged moments that I observed this particular graduation weekend.
On, Wisconsin!