There's no doubt that graduation this year has looked different from years past. Graduation during a global pandemic is just going to look different for everyone. But for me, it went a little something like this.

My graduation day started off bright and early at 7:15 a.m. I needed to help my mom clean and cook since we were having a very small amount of our family over in the morning. We had a morning full of reminiscing on the past and rereading stories that I had written about my family when I was younger. We had breakfast, looked at some pictures, and said goodbye right around 10:45 a.m. But my day didn't stop there.

At noon, we had another small amount of family coming over to eat lunch and celebrate with us. We reminisced about when I was younger, told stories, and were in awe of how hilarious my 2-year-old cousin is. We played with my dog, watched the picture slideshow my dad put together, and talked about how my grandpa puts candy in his left pocket and never his right one.

It was surrounded by my family that I watched my virtual graduation from our couch. The graduation slideshow showed my picture that I submitted to the yearbook, my after-college plans, my major, and any scholarships or awards that I had won. It was different than a traditional graduation ceremony no doubt, but that doesn't mean that it means any less.

While we couldn't have a traditional graduation party when we were supposed to, I'm hoping that we can have one in late July. We have a traditional graduation ceremony planned for mid-July, and a majority of people are planning their graduation parties then. We all hope that restrictions will be lifted in a safe manner so we can embrace our guests as they arrive.

Even though my graduation was far from traditional, maybe that's what made it so special. It was definitely a day I'll remember.