News Photo by Meakalia Previch-Liu Miya Ayala, a senior at Alpena High School, poses at Duck Park in Alpena on May 15. She is graduating with honors and plans to major in anthropology at Western Michigan University in the fall.

ALPENA — The future is exciting, but graduation for the class of 2020 is bittersweet, for many reasons.

Seniors Miya Ayala, of Alpena High School, and Christina Andrews, of Rogers City High School, are two of the millions of graduates in the U.S. who share that sentiment. After Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered schools closed in mid-March to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, districts had to transition to remote learning, communicating with students online or through the mail. Graduation ceremonies, too, were moved online, and prom and all other in-person social events were canceled.

Andrews, the Rogers City senior, is the valedictorian for her graduating class, and said she remembers when her sister was valedictorian at the school six years ago. She said it’s been her goal since she saw her sister to walk across the stage at commencement to follow in those footsteps, and now she won’t be able to experience that.

Rogers City school officials said they would wait until August to see if it is possible to hold an in-person commencement. If large crowds are not allowed by then, the district would consider a virtual ceremony.

“I still would like to have an in-person graduation, because a virtual one almost seems like it wouldn’t be worth it,” Andrews said.

News Photo by Meakalia Previch-Liu Christina Andrews, a Rogers City High School senior, poses for a photo at the high school on May 18. Andrews is valedictorian for the school’s graduating class of 2020 and plans to continue her education at Northern Michigan University, studying environmental science in the fall.

At Alpena High School, seniors will have the opportunity to participate in a virtual commencement ceremony on May 31 via Zoom videoconferencing software, which Ayala said is something she is looking forward to, despite all the changes to the end of the school year.

The most difficult part of staying at home during the pandemic has been missing out on potential experiences she would have otherwise had.

“We’re losing out on a lot of opportunities that we’ve waited for our whole school career, but, in the meantime, we’re getting many things that other classes probably wouldn’t have,” Ayala said. “I’m looking forward to graduation, because we’re still getting that experience of somewhat graduating and not losing it completely.”

Senior graduation festivities will look different too, Ayala said, adding that it will most likely be just her and her family celebrating together.

Andrews said her graduation party had to be rescheduled to August and plans are still in the works.

“It’s still not set in stone, because we don’t know what’s going to happen still towards August,” Andrews said.

Technology and the internet also played a huge role in being able to successfully finish the school year.

About three times a week since remote learning was implemented, Ayala said she has had to use Zoom to connect with teachers or classmates for courses she was finishing up.

Andrews said she was taking two dual enrollment classes at Alpena Community College that were finished via remote learning, too.

Ayala is also an avid ice skater and has been for the past nine years. She is a member of the Alpena Figure Skating Club, and recently got a scholarship from the U.S. Figure Skating Club that she hopes to use to continue skating throughout college. She said she wants to major in anthropology at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, and studying in that field will allow her to travel, be outdoors, and meet new people.

In high school, Andrews kept busy with a number of extracurricular activities, such as pep and jazz band, playing the flute, and track and basketball teams. Andrews said she plans to continue keeping herself busy in the fall while attending Northern Michigan University, studying environmental science.

“I think it’s important to start taking notice of our surroundings and making sure we take care of the environment before it’s gone,” Andrews said.

Meakalia Previch-Liu can be reached at 989-358-5680 or mprevich-liu@thealpenanews.com.

Pick up today’s edition of The News for our annual special graduation section.