Can you imagine a senior year without a prom? How about earning a degree but not having the opportunity to walk across the stage and receive your diploma? And what about not having a big graduation party to celebrate an accomplishment with family and friends?
For many local students in the Class of 2020, those questions arenโt hypothetical โ theyโre real life.
Missing out on those rites of passage due to a global pandemic and graduating into a world of uncertainty is a tough pill to swallow. But, instead of unhappiness or pessimism, the Class of 2020 is embodying something else: Optimism.
Elizabeth L.
Mount Saint Joseph Academy โ โ20
โWe are all way outside our comfort zone missing friends, family and routine.ย Seems like the Class of 2020 is getting thrown into the deep end just a bit earlier than we expected.ย We will be that much better prepared for our next chapter.โ
Andrew J.
Truman HS โ โ20
โThis definitely isnโt how I saw my senior year going and I know Iโve missed out on some things. But I donโt think thatโs what will stick with me. I think itโs all about how you respond and how you find the positive in the tough time. I figure, โIf we can do this, we can do anything. So letโs do it.โ
Sydney C.
Arcadia University/Education, BA โ โ20
โDifficult circumstance build strong people. Though I know this is only one part of my story, I know that it will leave an impact on me; my goal is to make it a positive impact.โ
In an effort to highlighting the Class of 2020, Penn Community Bank launched Operation Graduation – an initiative to celebrate graduates even while commencements and traditional graduation plans have been interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
As part of Operation Graduation, the bank delivered hundreds of graduation gifts to both high school and college graduates throughout the region, including more than 35 local high schools, technical schools, and universities. Receiving gifts as part of Operation Graduation was Cairn Universityโs entire undergraduate and graduate classes. Cairn University is home to Penn Community Bankโs first on-campus banking branch.
โAs a community-first financial services provider, our core mission is simple: to see and support growth potential everywhere we look,โ said Jeane M. Vidoni, President and CEO of Penn Community Bank, about the program. โIn times like these, the idea of growth means so much more: courage, optimism, and resiliency. There is no doubt that the high school and college graduates of 2020 will carry these traits with them and into our communities for decades to come.โ
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Growth is a series of changes, twists, and turns. And even when it doesnโt look like it, we are still growing together.ย Today, weโre redefining how we grow. Like how we celebrate a milestone or how we do business.ย In times like this, the idea of growth means so much more. It means optimism, courage, resiliency and a forward thinking mindset.ย At Penn Community Bank, growth also means weโre financially strong. It means weโre able to help individuals, families, businesses, and communities โ now, and for decades to come.
The best growth is within us. And itโs within you. Learn more.
