WATCH: William Paterson Student Graduates, Then Gets Engaged

WAYNE, NJ — It was a big day for Stefanie Vasiljevics.

William Paterson University hosted the first of 11 in-person commencement ceremonies on Monday for the class of 2021, and Vasiljevics was among the students who received their diploma after a challenging end to their college career due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On hand was her boyfriend of over a decade, Julian Gomez.

In a video shared by the college, Gomez rushes to greet his partner of 11 years as she walks across the university's football field on Monday. Vasiljevics is happy to see him, but the expression on her face quickly turned to shock as he dropped to one knee.

"Congratulations to Stefanie Vasiljevics and Julian Gomez who have been dating since 2009 and yesterday on our Commencement field, decided to live their future together," the college said.

Watch the moment below:

William Paterson hosted a virtual commencement ceremony for graduates at 9 a.m. on May 14, followed by a series of 11 in-person, outdoor ceremonies on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

Outdoor ceremonies will be held on Wightman Field, and all students who completed their degree requirements in January 2021, or are eligible in May and August, are invited to attend. Each ceremony will be approximately one hour, and livestreamed online.

Among those to deliver remarks for the ceremonies were Senator Cory Booker.

Keep up to date with what's happening in your community by subscribing to your local Patch newsletter here.