GOLDEN, Colo. — Graduation day was supposed to be in June in Manhattan, not in April near Green Mountain.
“I can only imagine what it would have been like," said Shalini Jain, dressed in her graduation gown on the front steps of her family's home in Golden.
Shalini Jain planned to walk across the stage at the Lincoln Center in New York on June 6 to earn her medical degree from St. George's University.
“My graduating class is probably around 500 to 600 students, so you can only imagine that this would have been a huge venue to be able to hold family and friends as well as all the graduates," she said.
The COVID-19 pandemic canceled graduation and brought it to the cul-de-sac in front of Jain's home. On Thursday evening, family and friends set up lawn chairs from a socially-distanced six-feet apart.
Shalini Jain's younger brother, Shalil, even printed out special programs for the small crowd.
“It was about 20 minutes to make this in Microsoft Word," he said, proudly displaying the sheet of paper.
The eldest of the siblings, Renuka Jain, found an excuse to dress up Thursday.
"This is the first time I’ve worn anything besides sweatpants in months, so it’s really exciting," she laughed.
Her father, Rajesh Jain, discovered a way to dignify the backyard bar cart.
"This is our podium," Rajesh Jain said, pushing the cart out of the garage into the driveway.
"Hopefully, it doesn't send the wrong message," he joked.
The "podium" was decorated with a large "20" to mark the occasion. Decorations dug up from past graduation ceremonies dangled from the lights on the garage.
“My mom is good at saving things for a rainy day and here we are - a rainy day!" Renuka Jain laughed.
The Jain family planned for a rainy day, but none expected to celebrate three graduations at once. Shalini Jain had the idea for the makeshift ceremony, but she wasn't the only sibling celebrating.
“We were all set. We had airline tickets lined up. Everything. And then COVID-19 happened and all our graduations got canceled," said Rajesh Jain.
Renuka Jain was supposed to graduate in Miami in May. The pandemic canceled plans before she received her diploma.
“I’m graduating from Ross University School of Medicine," Renuka Jain said. "I am going for residency at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky in a pediatric program."
Younger brother Shalil missed out on his graduation ceremony at CU-Boulder, but he still earned his own advanced degree, a master's in mechanical engineering.
“I’ve had to live up to having two doctors above me, but I think I’m holding my own since there [are] no pilots in the family and that’s what my career goals are," he said.
On top of the degrees, Shalil and his mother celebrated their private pilot certifications Thursday. Rajesh Jain was able to hood his two daughters as he was years ago in his own hooding ceremony.
"I am a physician also," he said. “When you finally got that hooding done, you’re like, ‘wow, you know. This is the real deal.’”
The eldest Dr. Jain knows how his daughters felt Thursday evening, but they were the first in the family to earn driveway degrees.
“It’s kind of weird, but it’s kind of cool because it’s just another way to bring the family together," said Renuka Jain.
Her siblings agreed.
“We can tell our kids about this, for sure," Shalil Jain said.
Shalini Jain missed out on Manhattan, but she seemed grateful for graduating from home.
"This is going to be just as memorable and I’m going to be happy that I was able to do something like this," she said.
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