ORLANDO, Fla. — The familiar tune of "Pomp and Circumstance" filled UCF's Addition Financial Arena for an event Saturday that many weren’t sure they would have.

This week, thousands of students graduated from the University of Central Florida during the institution's first in-person commencement ceremony since the start of the pandemic.

Family members sat on the physically-distanced sidelines, cell phones at the ready, for their loved ones’ big moment.

Just outside, newly graduated sisters Jordan and Brooklyn Walsh were soaking in the feeling.

“I think it was a really fun experience being able to do that in this time frame," the sisters said. "I thought it was really well done as well. They took precautions, but they still allowed you to have that moment and take pictures and stuff like that.”

The two are only 16 months apart, and because they shared a major were rarely apart through their studies.

Now, they're happy to have graduated together, even if it had to be several feet apart.

“I think it just was a nice ending — kind of was like ‘there’s hope going forward.’ You felt like you actually accomplished it," Brooklyn Walsh said.

Almost 9,000 degrees were granted from UCF during the spring semester.