A video capturing a graduation ceremony mishap has gone viral on social media, leaving people astonished. During the College of Nursing graduation ceremony at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the announcer mispronounced multiple names, drawing attention right from the start.
Watch the video below to hear the announcer’s peculiar pronunciation of names like Allison, Sarah, Molly, and Thomas:
The video, shared on TikTok by user @colleenb415, showcases the graduates from the nursing program happily walking to the stage, adorned in their gowns and hats, to celebrate their bachelor degrees. However, the announcer’s pronunciation of the names caused the clip to go viral as many of the names sounded nothing like what appeared on the screen.
The video’s caption reads, “Please tell me how one can be allowed to speak at a college commencement and mess up that badly.” People quickly took to social media in shock and disbelief. One TikTok user even called for an investigation into the mishap, while others found humor in the situation and couldn’t stop laughing.
A theory emerged from a college professor, suggesting that students typically submit phonetic spellings of their names for such ceremonies. However, if the actual name is not written next to the phonetic version, mishaps like these can occur.
Thomas Jefferson University has since issued an apology and an explanation for the incident. A spokesperson for the University expressed their sincerest apologies for the mispronunciations and acknowledged the importance of correctly honoring each graduate’s name.
They also recognized the significance of the day for the families and loved ones who have supported the graduates throughout their educational journey.
The mispronunciations were attributed to the way phonetic spellings were presented on the speaker’s cards. The presenter acknowledged this mistake and apologized during the ceremony. The University emphasized that the error does not reflect the respect and value they hold for their graduates and their accomplishments.
