Valley 101

Graduation is a time in your life when you’re getting dressed up in an itchy, shapeless gown and trying to adjust a square hat to your head that simply won’t stay on. It is also a right of passage. Not only does it represent growing up and going on to bigger things, but it’s a celebration of everything you’ve done up until that point. A celebration of your years of education and everyone who helped you achieve that. It’s something almost all of us go through.  But the graduates of 2022 had an educational experience that few can relate to. With the pandemic and virtual learning and everything else that affected them, they are a class that is unique. In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we are joined by The Republic's k-12 education reporter Yana Kunichoff. Together, we visited three graduations at three different stages of life to try and capture this moment in time.