Portland State connecting family and friends

For parents around the world, attending their child’s graduation is a special experience. It’s also one of the most important days for Portland State, and it is therefore significant to capitalize on this very special day for students. Before the Internet, attending graduation was simply not possible for some parents if their child attended an out of state college. With the expense and hassle of paying for flights and hotels, friends and other relatives had no choice but to hear stories of the ceremony.

Now, with modern technology, people can view the graduation online via live streaming. No matter what continent the student’s family lives in, every relative will have a chance to witness the graduation. During the commencement, the PSU website will have the ceremony streaming live so families can gather around the desktop and view the ceremony with excitement.

“We are trying to make it possible for anyone who can’t make it to the commencement to be able to watch and hear it,” Student Affairs Coordinator J.R. Tarabocchia said. “It’s important for families of the international students to be able to watch the graduation.”

Tarabocchia pointed out that it took a lot of teamwork for everything to come together in the end.

“It’s not just me alone; dozens of people are helping me orchestrate it, and it takes a while for it to piece together.” he said.

Social networking devices such as Facebook and Twitter will also play a huge part in jazzing up the graduation experience. Nearly everyone uses these websites to tune in for updates, news and communication, so social networking is a great outlet for promotion. Flickr will also be available for families to share this special day, and the commencement program will have instructions for promoting through Twitter, Facebook and Flickr. The commencement program will also have a URL address for people looking to connect through the live stream.

Proud parents, relatives and friends around the world will gather around to view the commencement at the Rose Garden Arena. It’s an exciting day for many students, families and faculty members to celebrate their hard work throughout the years. Every parent deserves to experience their child’s graduation no matter where they’re located on the globe, and, fortunately, with the continuing development of social networking, family and friends have even more ways to connect and experience special moments together. ?