SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Petco Park in downtown San Diego isn’t where you’d normally see graduations, but for thousands of San Diego State University students, it’s a graduation ceremony they’ve been anxiously waiting a long time for.

Many graduates told ABC 10News on Tuesday that they were unsure whether this day would even happen because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“2020 was a hot mess. But we're here and I'm excited to be able to walk across the stage,” said SDSU graduate Christiane.

Fellow graduate Sara Adami added, “I worked so hard for four years. I might as well celebrate it.”

This year’s graduation ceremony did have many changes in place, including a maximum of four tickets per graduate in order to limit capacity inside the stadium.

Additionally, San Diego County’s outdoor venue guidelines, which includes mask-wearing and social distancing, were closely followed.

Many families in attendance weren’t too concerned with the health and safety guidelines; they were focused more on what truly matters – being able to celebrate an important milestone with their student.

Christiane’s father, Frank, told ABC 10News, “We're so excited, we get to see her walk across the stage, it's something she worked so hard for. And we're very proud of her.”

But, not far from their minds was the class of 2020.

“I think they can celebrate with us even though it’s a year late, but I think it’s still something they can witness and accomplish,” Adami said.

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