A year after New Rochelle made headlines for its positive cases of coronavirus, Iona college graduates took a walk across the stage to get their diplomas Saturday.
There was no graduation ceremony last year as New Rochelle battled the coronavirus. The high number of cases at the time put the city at the epicenter of the health crisis.
"The fact that a year ago we could not have a ceremony ... here we are today. I'm hopeful that the future is only going to get better," said Brianna Tagliamonte, a graduate.
All graduates were required to have proof of vaccination or proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test.
“It was such a good feeling to know we were going to be able to walk here," said Lynnie Chong, also an Iona College graduate.