COLUMBIA, S.C. — Students at W.J. Kennan High School were able to walk across the graduation stage on Thursday after earning their diplomas.
For seniors, they've had a different experience of their final years of high school than most people.
The coronavirus pandemic changed the way they learned. Some learned virtually while others learned in the classroom socially distanced.
Regardless on how they got to this point, these seniors earned their high school diploma and are ready to graduate.
Graduates and their families came to the football stadium on Thursday morning to have the traditional ceremony.
"It feels good. It just feels good. I'm happy to be done," said Tyler Means, one of the graduates.
His father, Julius Means, is proud of everything his son has accomplished.
"He kept moving strong and everything like that," said Julius. "Now he's finished and he's pursuing a veterinarian career."
Ariana Mckune graduated on Thursday. She says her senior year was different than what she thought it would be like years ago.
"It was different and it was challenging, but hey, we made it. We made it through," said Mckune.
While these seniors faced a different set of challenges because of COVID-19, they've were able to reach their goal of graduating and their families are proud.
"I'm just going to miss all the people. I love everybody," said Mckune. "I'm just going to miss being around everybody because you know everybody is going to drift off and go separate ways. I'm just going to miss being with everybody."