SDSU In-Person Commencements to Kick Off Soon at Petco Park

The moment that hundreds of students have dreamed of is finally here, as dozens of San Diego college students walk across a stage as graduates for the next couple of days.

San Diego State University graduates are set to celebrate their big accomplishment with in-person commencement ceremonies from Tuesday through Thursday at Petco Park. The iconic location further adds to the graduating class’ excitement.

“I was actually at a game the other day and I was just telling my friends like, ‘we’re going to be graduating in this field!’ I was…You can hear me geeking in my voice right now,” said Devin Whatley, a soon-to-be graduate who studied journalism and is also a story producer for NBC 7. “To be able to graduate on the same field that Fernando Tatis Jr. plays on and the rest of the Padres crew…it’s so exciting.”

It’s a celebration that could have been thwarted by the coronavirus pandemic, but with better trends and more vaccinated residents, is now possible with social distancing and the ballpark’s open-air space.

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SDSU graduates are set to walk the stage during several commencement ceremonies over the next couple of days at Petco Park. NBC 7’s Audra Stafford has more on the important date.

The university’s commencement schedule is as follows:

9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 25 – College of Education/Faculty Advancement and Student Success
2 p.m. on Tuesday, May 25 – College of Sciences
8 a.m. on Wednesday, May 26 – College of Arts & Letters
1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 26 – College of Engineering
5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 26 – Fowler College of Business
9 a.m. on Thursday, May 27 – College of Health and Human Services
2 p.m. on Thursday, May 27 – College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts.

Last year, graduations relied on virtual ceremonies as the unforgiving virus continued to increase cases in the county. Graduation season comes as the coronavirus pandemic trends appear optimistic, with more than 1.8 million eligible San Diego County residents having had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.