Tassel Hassle: Brooklyn College graduates walk the stage following commencement controversy
“We got to just strut our stuff like it was a runway and just work,” said Kayla John, Class of 2026. “I don’t know what graduation would’ve been like if we didn’t get to walk.”
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Brooklyn College graduates put their best foot forward and walked across the stage during Thursday’s commencement at Barclays Center – despite some hassle before their tassel.
“We got to just strut our stuff like it was a runway and just work,” said Kayla John, Class of 2026. “I don’t know what graduation would’ve been like if we didn’t get to walk.”
But that was almost a reality for John and her classmates.
Last month, Brooklyn College announced that the Class of 2026 was not walking at commencement due to a “required end time at Barclays.”
“I think everyone was pretty bummed that we weren’t going to [walk],” said Mya Fisher, who graduated with a master’s degree.
However, as News 12 previously reported, students rallied and made their voices heard, leading school leaders to reverse their decision.
“When community comes together, something bigger can always happen, which is change,” said Ifeoma Ezike, Class of 2026.
The walk meant more to Joselin Maza Ramos, a first-generation college graduate who earned her master’s degree in accounting.
She said her family could not make the trip from Peru to Brooklyn, so the online livestream gave them a glimpse of their graduate.
“People could think, ‘Oh, oh my God, it’s only a walk,’ but no,” said Maza Ramos.
“It's not just a walk,” said John. “This is pain, sweat, blood and tears.”
About 4,000 total undergraduate and graduate students walked across the stage in approximately 90 minutes.
The commencement ceremony ended about an hour before originally scheduled.
“Thank Brooklyn College, for just not taking ‘no’ for an answer,” said John.
“By the end, we will walk,” said Ezike. “And we did exactly that.”
A Brooklyn College spokesperson previously told News 12 that graduates walked across the stage during the three previous commencements, but walking was not a part of graduation ceremonies before 2022.
Brooklyn College released the following statement on May 4 on their decision to let their graduates walk:
"Brooklyn College has updated the format of its May 28, 2026, Commencement exercises to allow all graduating students to be individually recognized as they walk across the stage and have their names called. The change follows feedback from students and families and was made possible through coordination with the venue and adjustments to the program. The college looks forward to celebrating the Class of 2026 at Barclays Center on May 28."
