Dad Built Stage In His Driveway To Throw His Daughter Graduation Ceremony

May 29, 2020 by apost team

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the Class of 2020 and their families are having to find creative ways to celebrate graduations. Take thoughtful dad Torrence Burson for example. When Xavier University of Louisiana cancelled its commencement this May, Burson made it up to his 23-year-old graduating daughter Gabrielle Pierce by organizing his own ceremony in his driveway equipped with graduation regalia, podium, stage and Pomp and Circumstance.

In an interview with Good Morning America, Burson told reporters that he first got the idea to put on his own graduation ceremony after seeing how upset his daughter was.

“After seeing my daughter on the couch, after seeing the email she had got that graduation was canceled, it hurt my heart to see her crying and so upset,” Burson told GMA. “That went on for four or five days to almost a week. I remember going to bed one night and woke up in the middle of the night with the thought that I was going to bring the graduation to the driveway.”

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And Burson delivered. Not only did he order a podium, stage and other graduation equipment from a local convention center, but Burson even insisted that he and his daughter practice the ceremony beforehand. What’s more, Burson also invited his daugther’s aunt, Dr. Deborah Smith, and the family pastor, Rev. Eric J. Knowles who gave speeches during the ceremony.

“I just couldn’t believe that it was so large — I didn’t think that there was going to be a podium or banisters and all of that. It was just amazing to see everyone out there and to see the stage and for everyone to celebrate me,” Pierce told GMA.

“I was just like, Are you serious all of this is for me? This is huge,” Pierce added. “It was amazing to see how I went from not being so ecstatic and wondering how it was going to go, to being overwhelmed with joy at the end of the day.”

If you haven’t seen Burson’s makeshift ceremony for yourself, it’s worth taking a look at the video just to understand the sheer scale of the ceremony. Apart from the driveway and the obvious lack of an audience — save for neighbors who observed the ceremony from a distance and passerby who voiced their congratulations — Burson seems to have fully captured the atmosphere of a classic graduation ceremony. Xavier University of Louisiana also held a virtual commencement on May 23, which Pierce reportedly planned to participate in as well.

Following her graduation from Xavier with a bachelor's degree in public health science, Pierce told GMA that she plans to join the national guard and pursue a masters degree in epidemiology with the ultimate goal of working for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
 

Congratulations, Gabrielle! What do you think of dad Torrence Burson's idea? How have grads celebrated commencement in your community? Let us know and pass this wonderful story on to pay tribute to the Class of 2020.