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Northeastern holds first graduation without restrictions since start of pandemic

BOSTON — Northeastern University held its first graduation without any restrictions since the start of the pandemic.

Sunday’s 121st Northeastern University commencement took place at Fenway Park

4,754 graduate students participated in a morning event, and 4,643 undergraduates celebrated the milestone during an afternoon event.

It all played out before a combined crowd of over 46,000.

Boston 25 News spoke with undergraduate students who said the pandemic turned their college experiences upside down early on.

For many, the graduation symbolized getting through to the other side.

“We went to school in one of the toughest times you could imagine growing up,” said Max Blanch, a behavioral neuroscience major.

The commencement celebration that echoed through America’s most beloved ballpark Sunday is one that the Northeastern Class of 2023 did not take for granted.

“There were a lot of crazy changes, but I wouldn’t really trade the experience for a thing,” said Jess Silverman, a political science major.

Those in the school’s co-op program not only experienced the impact that the pandemic had on their school life but also on their jobs.

Several of the graduates Boston 25 News spoke with said that the pandemic shifted their career goals and fields of study.

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