San Diego Mesa College President Pamela Luster announced that Mesa and the rest of SDCCD will send off their graduates with a Virtual Commencement Ceremony this year instead of an in-person ceremony to comply with coronavirus safety measures. The announcement was made during Luster’s May 6 virtual College Forum.

The decision was based off student responses to alternatives, according to an email sent to spring 2020 graduates from the Mesa College Commencement Team. The email was sent to all eligible students who applied for graduation from Mesa in summer 2019, fall 2019, spring 2020, and summer 2020.

Graduation ceremonies will take place on a virtual presentation platform created by the company Marching Orders. Official slides will recognize each graduate and can be customized with a photo and a personal message. Graduation slides can be downloaded and shared to proud family and friends. Graduates can expect to see their smiling mugs in the presentation that will be posted on the Mesa website on July 17 at 10 a.m. The presentation will be available for viewing anytime afterwards.

All eligible graduates should check their emails for a message from Mesa via Marching Orders, as they will receive an email before or on May 9 with details on how to register, create a password, and enter the information that will appear on their official graduation slide. The deadline to be included in the Virtual Ceremony is May 26. Those who do not complete it by then will not be included in the ceremony and all participation is voluntary.

Any questions about the ceremony should be emailed to the Mesa Evaluations Office by mesaevaluations@sdccd.edu or by phone at 619-800-3529.