University of Oklahoma graduates receive a tribute in chalk from faculty

With the help of a few colleagues and a lot of chalk, Kim Gaddie was able to honor the University of Oklahoma's Class of 2020.

Together, the crew wrote the names of every graduating senior in the spot where they would have lined up for commencement. With more than 4,000 graduates, the names fill the sidewalk. "It was just a small gesture that we felt like we could do for them to say, 'Hey, we're thinking about you. We care about you. We know this is important,'" Gaddie, an associate senior fellow at the university's Headington College, told The Associated Press.

Students who live nearby have offered to snap photos of the names for their classmates who had to return home out of state. One of those graduates, Dana Antinozzi of Texas, was so moved by what Gaddie and her colleagues did that she sent a thank you email. "I can only imagine what back-breaking work that must have been," she wrote. "It is clear that faculty members like you are doing all you can to make this milestone memorable and special for us."

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