WEST TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)– For Sydney McCammon, Saturday was the end of a long road.

It’s one that nearly 300 others celebrated at St. Mary-of-the-Woods, and thousands more around Indiana in the past few weeks– college graduation. 

McCammon, the student speaker during the undergraduate ceremony in the morning, said beforehand she was both anxious and excited for the occasion, one she was happy to share with her classmates.

“We’re all in it together, we’re all succeeding together, and it’s just so rewarding to see all of us walk across that stage together,” she said. “We’ve all been through so much, so it’s nice to have this one final thing together.”

With the pandemic, this class had a unique college journey– but McCammon said she wouldn’t change a thing. 

I’ve looked back quite a bit. I can’t believe the three years are already up, I feel like I’ve gone through so much, and I know that’s the same for everybody, whether you’ve been here three years or four or five, whatever the number is,” she said. “It’s been a wild ride but I don’t think I’d change any of it.”

SMWC President Dottie King said graduation is an annual reminder on why she enjoys working at a college so much. 

“It helps me remember why I do what I do everyday,”: she said. “From fundraising, to the meetings and the travel, all the different things that I is really all about students coming to college and achieving success, going on in the world and making a difference.” 

This commencement comes on the heels of Indiana State, who held theirs the prior weekend. Elsewhere in Vigo County, Rose-Hulman will hold their ceremony on Saturday, May 27th.