Bobadilla is the first person in her family to attend college or university. She explained how important this day is to her family and why she finds it crucial for her family to be a part of her big day.
“My mom has jumped through so many hoops for me to be able to come here, and my family has worked so hard overall for me to be able to reach the place where I am now,” she said.
Seidy Bobadilla, showing an image of her and her closest family members. Photo by: Melissa Megali
The school stated that each student will only be allowed, six guests. Bobadilla comes from a larger family and she was under the impression she did not have a limit on her big day.
She recently told her immediate family that not everyone will be able to attend the day. She said that her family is disappointed but is hopeful.
“I am disappointed that the school did not tell us sooner, I wouldn’t have told everyone that they could come because I thought it was going to be outside like it was in the past,” said Bobadilla
Meantime, senior Paige Oudekerk’s family had booked their Airbnb in early July of 2021 due to a high level of reservations at hotels for graduation weekend.
Oudekerk explained that originally eight guests would be staying at the Airbnb but now she can only invite six. These guests will be flying in for the ceremony, which makes it challenging to choose which guests she will have to ask to stay behind.
Paige Oudekerk, video calling her grandmother and her younger brother. Photo by: Paige Oudekerk
“One of my family members is flying in from Arizona and if I had known prior to just last week that it was only going to be six guests, unfortunately, I would have most likely told her that she can watch in the comfort of her own home.”
Oudekerk said she wished that the school would have handled this overall situation better.
Since the school did divide graduation into two sections, senior Amanda Grigas is also afraid that she will not be able to graduate with her closest friends and roommates.
Grigas explained that her family and friends have planned Airbnb’s close to one another to celebrate within the same vicinity.
“If it is split into two sections, I feel like our overall plan from the beginning is ruined, especially since we planned this so ahead of time,” she said.
Grigas is also the first person in her immediate family to graduate college, so she feels how important this is, especially to her parents and grandfather.
Grigas and her friends are going to keep the same plans and are hoping for a better result when May graduation becomes closer.
“I feel like if more people who are affected by the issue are speaking up, there is a better chance things could change.”
