Soon-to-be doctor in physical therapy graduate Damian Pierontoni sizes up the new hoodie that declares him a member of Miisericordia University’s ‘Pandemicclass of 2020’ while family members look on in his fiance’s Swoyersville home Monday. PT faculty are delivering the hoodies in person to all but one of 47 students graduating this Sunday in a socially-distanced event that won’t allow the traditional ‘hooding’ ceremony given to doctorate degree students.
Mark Guydish | Times Leader
Graduating student Damian Pierontoni greets Misericordia University Physical Therapy Department Chair Sue Baker at the door Monday. PT faculty are delivering envelopes of goodies to all doctorate graduates, including a ‘hoodie’ to help make up for the socially-distanced hooding ceremony this weekend.
Mark Guydish | Times Leader
SWOYERSVILLE — Before getting “hooded,” as part of graduation with a doctorate in physical therapy this Sunday, Misericordia PT graduates are getting “hoodies.” Faculty are hand-delivering envelopes of goodies, including a hoodie declaring them the “Pandemic Class of 2020”
Damian Pierontoni got his surprise graduation swag Monday, delivered in person by PT Department chair Sue Baker. Social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic will deprive the students of a full “hooding” ceremony this Sunday, so faculty got some students to create a design printed on hoodies as gifts to all 47 soon-to-be graduates. They are delivering the outerwear along with a few other items in person this week.
“This is great!” Pierontoni said after opening his envelope and showing off the hoodie, which along with the “pandemic class” bit added “At home in the hood.”
Technically, he wasn’t at home at the moment. He’s from Nanticoke, but was visiting his fiance.
Pierontoni also got a certificate reminding just how different this school year has been by dubbing him a “Cougar Dance Team award” recipient. The inside joke: He and three other students had planned a research project incorporating physical therapy exercises into dance routines for people over 65, but never got to actually test if it improved coordination and balance as planned. The pandemic nixed the real-world test with seniors.
“We still did the research and made the presentation ourselves,” he said, “We just couldn’t get the hard data to see if it works.”
Baker said faculty agreed to personally deliver all but one of the 47 envelopes to places both local and in New York and New Jersey. Only one envelope had to be mailed, that was for a student back home in Minnesota.
Pierontoni hopes “to go to work right away,” and said he would prefer a hospital setting. Better to get the job details settled now rather than later. He and his fiance are planning their wedding.
“It’s June 22,” He said when Baker asked the date. Sitting behind him, she corrected “It’s June 16.”
No, he didn’t forget the date, he insisted. He simply gave the month and year, sort of like a credit card expiration date. He quickly gave a fuller answer. “It’s June 16, 2022.”
No decision yet on what hood they’ll live in.
Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish
