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Education

It's (Virtual) Commencement Season. A Dance Major Shares Her Experience

Cypress College dance major Kylie Christensen on graduation day outside her home. (Courtesy Kylie Christensen)

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Cypress College dance major Kylie Christensen couldn't believe the news that she wouldn't have an in-person graduation ceremony.

“I went downstairs and I was crying to my dad, telling him that this isn't fair, and I've worked so hard for this and now I'm not going to get the recognition that I want to and anything like that.”

Her dad, Dean Christensen, has been her main cheerleader in life. Her mother died 10 years ago.

After attending Los Alamitos High School and joining its show choir for performances at Lincoln Center and the Grand Ole Opry, Christensen's lifelong love of singing took a sharp turn in community college. She changed her major to dance after taking a ballet class.

“It really saddens me that I didn't really get to spend the last couple months with all of my classmates. Because being in dance classes, you get really close with people, because dance can be very vulnerable sometimes.”

When it came time to watch
the commencement last Friday, it was obvious her dad would be with her, as well as her boyfriend. The long ceremony made her think of the people who’d helped her along the way.
“Going through this, it has made me as well as my peers so much stronger, and I think it's helped us be a little bit more equipped for our future ahead of us.”

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