Bergen County College Commencements Honor Class Of 2021

MAHWAH, NJ — The coronavirus pandemic undoubtedly changed the college experience for many students at North Jersey universities.

Whether they were involved in full-remote learning, or able to attend some classes in-person, masks, mandatory check-ins and positive COVID-19 cases altered daily life.

However, as universities shared scenes and images from commencement ceremonies taking place over the course of this week, visible signs of a pre-pandemic world appeared. Of course, there were still precautions in place.

At Ramapo College and William Paterson University, commencement ceremonies were spaced out across multiple days. But that didn't stop the graduates from making the most of their achievement.

Here are a few stories from this week's commencement ceremonies around Wayne, and the surrounding communities:

Ramapo College Begins 2021 Commencement Ceremonies

Ramapo College held the first batch of what will be nine, in-person, commencement ceremonies for the class of 2021 on Monday and Tuesday.

The college's arching ceremony returned, as did the conferring of degrees by Ramapo President Peter Mercer.

Mercer, who became the president in 2005, will also deliver the final graduation day remarks of his tenure, as he'll be retiring June 30.

Fair Lawn Students Get Associate Degree Before FLHS Graduation

A group of 14 Fair Lawn High School seniors were honored for a unique achievement recently, as they received an Associate's Degree before their high school diploma.

The high school's first graduating cohorts completed a dual-enrollment program from Bergen Community College's Early College Program, which they began in September 2019.

WATCH: William Paterson Student Graduates, Then Gets Engaged

Stefanie Vasiljevics knew she would graduate from William Paterson on Monday. She didn't know her boyfriend would pop the question too.

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