The COVID-19 pandemic has made everyday life very strange for the past couple of weeks. Soon, university grads will move on to the next phase of their lives — all without a proper commencement ceremony.
Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama have announced they'll make the best of a bad situation.
Grads are free to wear gowns and mortarboards, but they'll be doing so in self-isolation. Due to the ongoing pandemic, no universities are going to be hosting the large gatherings typically associated with graduation.
They're always in high demand as speakers, and in fact have spoken at university commencement ceremonies in the past. This spring, they'll reprise these roles — but with a bit of a twist.
Barack Obama announced via his social media channels that he'll be appearing (virtually, of course) at a couple of commencement ceremonies — the first taking place on May 16th for Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
Michelle Obama announced that she, along with her husband, will be hosting a star-studded commencement ceremony on June 6th. She'll be joined by stars like Lady Gaga and Alicia Keys, along with activists and business leaders.
With or without the Obamas, graduation 2020 is going to be a bit of a weird time, with grads taking part online rather than in person. But this should help make things memorable.
Michelle Obama shared this YouTube link, where ceremonies will go live on June 6th. Even for those who aren't graduating, the proceedings should be worth a watch.
They're very much in demand as featured speakers. If we weren't dealing with a pandemic, there's a good chance one or both would appear as commencement speakers somewhere. Now, any institution that's holding ceremonies can utilize their public speaking skills.
You made it! No one could have foreseen a global pandemic messing up your grad plans, but here we are.
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