Savannah White, Campus Carrier Staff Writer

With the end of the semester approaching, 53 undergraduate and 23 graduate students will be finishing their degrees this December and have mixed feelings due to the absence of an official winter ceremony.

December graduates have the option of returning in the spring to walk with their classmates, which may choose to do.

Some students are saddened by the lack of fanfare surrounding their graduation.

“It doesn’t feel like Berry has done anything super special for December grads,” December graduate Jessica Cannon said.

AnnaLee Cooley, another December graduate, was also disheartened not having a graduation ceremony at the end of the semester.

“There are no graduation parties, pictures, or honorary events that come with being a December graduate,” Cooley said.

Many students still plan to celebrate their early graduation. December graduate Lexi Turner plans to celebrate with family and friends over dinner and take some needed relaxation.

Cooley and other students said celebration seems to get overshadowed in the end of the semester rush and the stress of job searching. Cooley doesn’t have any plans to celebrate before May.

“No one else seems to remember that this is my last semester because there are so few people graduating in December,” Cooley said. “Going through all the emotions, difficulties, and joys of finishing a degree get completely overshadowed by the usual end of the semester stress.”

Although Berry has no official ceremony, some departments make an effort to honor their December graduates. The communications department treats their early graduates to a dinner in celebration of their accomplishments. Turner and many others appreciate the acknowledgement from their professors.