EWING -- Before they threw their caps in the air, moved their tassels and even before they formally received their degrees, the graduating class at The College of New Jersey had to stop and take a selfie.
It was their final assignment, a request of professor Lauren Madden, the commencement ceremony's faculty speaker. Each graduate -- and a few parents, siblings and friends -- pulled out their smartphones and smiled for the tiny cameras.
"Capture this moment. Literally. Right now," Madden said, posing in front of her own red iPhone. "Rather than relying on airbrushed images of perfection and beauty, the people who make up this selfie generation are instead leveraging the enormous technology they carry in their pockets to document, create and celebrate reality.
"How liberating," she said.
Through a wet mix of drizzling rain and a full downpour, more than 2,000 TCNJ students graduated from the institution on Thursday, moving their tassels and tossing their caps on the Lions Stadium field.
The unique accomplishments and challenges faced by the class of 2015 were the focus of the evening ceremonies -- even the weather, college President R. Barbara Gitenstein said.
Nearly four years ago, the students -- only freshmen at the time -- saw annual "welcome week" activities postponed and cancelled due to Hurricane Irene, Gitenstein explained. And throughout their careers, the weather -- whether it was Hurricane Sandy or a series of snowstorms that cancelled classes -- continued to battle the students.
Through it all, the students were able to impact their own communities by drawing on and learning from the world around them, Gitenstein said.
"Despite this non-traditional beginning, your academic journey has clearly been a successful one," Gitenstein said. "And the weather tonight is better than it was then."
Class president Brian Garsh encouraged his classmates to learn from their missteps, focusing not on the faults but the lessons learned.
"Overcoming these failures is what makes life meaningful. It's what makes you a stronger individual," Garsh said. "It's all about your attitude, which determines whether it's falling forward or falling backwards.
"Learning to fall forward, taking risks and living without regret: That is the real education you receive here," Garsh said.
Be sure to check out our complete graduation coverage at nj.com/graduation.
Mike Davis may be reached at mdavis@njtimes.com. Follow him on Twitter @byMikeDavis. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.