Thomas Jefferson University Graduation Announcer Messes Up Very Common Names
"How do you get Elizabeth wrong three times?" Just ask the announcer at the Thomas Jefferson University graduation ceremony.
May 10 2024, Published 10:45 a.m. ET
The announcer at a Thomas Jefferson University graduation ceremony majorly butchered graduates' names to the point that it's all social media can talk about.
In pronunciations you have to hear to believe, the announcer struggled to say very simple monikers like Elizabeth and Allison — and even Thomas, which is in the name of the college.
TikTokers shared moments from the ceremony that really are head-scratching and left at least one creator questioning how the person was even allowed to speak at the college's commencement.
The pronunciations at the Thomas Jefferson University graduation left some wondering if this was real — or a skit.
TikTok creator @colleenb415 captured the cringey ceremony at Thomas Jefferson University that saw nursing students accepting their degrees. In the video, we hear the announcer mispronounce almost every student's name. It's both confusing and highly entertaining with the creator hilariously laughing during the clip.
"This can't be real," commented one person. And we agree. Is this a skit on Saturday Night Live? But apparently it isn't.
"How do you get Elizabeth wrong three times?" wondered another commenter.
When someone else questioned how the person could be allowed to continue, the original poster later said that the errors were due to phonetic spellings, and at one point, the woman apologized for the mistakes.
The announcer did apologize for the mispronunciations, but still.
Another TikToker confirmed that the announcer did admit later that she butchered graduates' names.
Creator @sauc.y posted a video of the moment the woman said, "And my apologies for the phonetic spelling, er, pronunciation of the names that were on the cards. I would have done better just reading from the book. Apologies graduates."
But, um, Elizabeth? And Thomas? At Thomas Jefferson University? Paging common sense. Where are you common sense?
Besides, as the creator noted, it took 30 minutes for her to realize the mistake. "After the third weird-as-hell name, it should have been a red flag to her that something was wrong," one commenter agreed.
The creator went on to report that on the cards, graduates said they had written their names along with the phonetic pronunciation, so there really wasn't that much room for error. Sigh.
Meanwhile, even attendees at the actual graduation wondered if they were somehow being punked. One creator posted a clip from the ceremony along with the caption, "Forgot I was at my sister's nursing graduation and thought [it] was a Key & Peele skit."
Some people didn't find the Thomas Jefferson University graduation pronunciations so hilarious.
While some people found the bizarre moment funny, others were angry. "Nah, I'd be demanding a redo if this was my graduation ceremony," one commenter said.
"This is so disrespectful," someone else blasted the speaker.
Another commenter took it a step further, calling for the lady to be arrested!
Others worried about the woman's health, fearing she was having a stroke.
The phenomenon is being discussed everywhere, from TikTok to Twitter. As one person tweeted, "My FYP is FILLED with so many videos of that Thomas Jefferson University graduation. Like how do you mess up that bad?"
We may never know!
