Students from Unaka reflect on graduation: Part two

Published 4:53 pm Thursday, May 28, 2020

Tuesday night kicked off unique graduations for Carter County seniors as they graduated at the Stateline Drive-In, which began with Unaka High School.

Makenzie Revis, Sara Grubb and Troy Austin are three of Unaka’s newest alumni who have decided to share their perspectives on the ceremony.

Revis began by saying she was glad the ceremony took place because she didn’t think they were going to be able to have one.

“I really liked the experience because back in March I really didn’t think we were going to have a graduation,” she said. “And I just loved that the school system allowed us to have a graduation.”

Revis said that her family was able to attend, and she enjoyed the ceremony,

“I thought it was fun, I actually liked it better than sitting in the gym,” she laughed.

When Revis reflected on her graduation and senior year, she said she liked it, but felt she did miss out.

“I think this was very memorable, but we also didn’t get to do things that normally seniors would get to do,” she said.

Revis concluded by saying she was happy that the ceremony got to take place and that she finally graduated. She said her favorite memories from high school are the football games and Key Club. She now plans to attend Northeast State Community College and major in Pre-Radiography.

Like Revis, Grubb was happy with the ceremony and was able to have her family in attendance. She also described the graduation ceremony as bittersweet.

“It was very bittersweet,” she said. “I was very thankful for everything the teachers and staff did to make it happen. I just thought doing it at the drive-in was pretty cool. It’ll be something we never forget.”

Grubb said that while she was sad at the ceremony, she was also grateful.

“It was a sad time for me, but I chose to be grateful we even had one at all,” she said. “It really hit me this week that it’s over. So graduation day was pretty hard for me, but there’s better things to come.”

As she reflected on her time in high school, she said some of her favorite memories included cheering at state with only four people, pep rallies and cooking in Mrs. Burton’s class.

Grubb said that from this experience, she is taking away the life lesson to never take moments for granted. She now plans to attend Milligan University and participate on the cheer team. She will be majoring in Exercise Science, and pursuing a career in Occupational Therapy. She also encourages all future graduates to keep God first in their lives.

Similar to Revis and Grubb, appreciation for graduation continued with Austin.

He described the ceremony as amazing.

“I thought it was absolutely amazing,” he said. “I never expected something like this, you know with the year being cut short. I didn’t even expect a graduation, really. So, something on this grand of a scale, it was just absolutely amazing.”

Austin said one of his favorite things at the graduation was the use of the big screen and seeing everyone’s faces on it during the event. He also said this is a memory he will look back on happily.

“This is something I will never forget,” he said.

In reflecting on his senior year being cut short, he said it was unexpected. Describing that no one really knew that they wouldn’t be going back to school.

“It was just kind of a shock,” he said. “As a teenager, you can’t be too upset. I mean, out of school early, that’s awesome. But, really it’s a lot of memories you’re going to miss out on, and not being able to say goodbye to your teachers. I don’t know how to feel about it, it still blows my mind.”

Austin said his favorite memories in high school include his friends, his teachers, biology class and band, overall it was the people he misses most. He said that while he is unsure what he will ultimately take away from this experience, he is thankful for everyone who helped make the ceremony possible. He now plans to take a year off, as well as attend Tennessee Tech University to study engineering, preferably in robotics and computers.

While uncertainty surrounded the past couple of months over graduation, the general tone of alumni so far to share their experiences with the drive-in graduation has been one of thanks.

Congratulations to Unaka’s graduating class of 2020!