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It’s no secret that day to day life has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in a number of ways. For those of us celebrating special moments, however, the isolation can be even more unbearable. With the school year wrapping up, a lot of seniors are left to wonder how to celebrate their graduation into adulthood.
YouTube is offering up a solution to this unique issue, thankfully. While there will be no physical graduation ceremony for 2020 seniors, there will be a digital graduation. For those students who, due to the pandemic, will be missing out on their physical graduation ceremony, this special looks to ease that sting.
The special, titled “Dear Class of 2020,” will be headlined by Barack and Michelle Obama. The former First Family will give a joint address to graduating students. Additionally, each of the Obamas will give a speech on typical graduation day topics. This section of the special will likely feel rather similar to a standard graduation.
This won’t be just any old graduation ceremony, though. To help make up for the millions of kids who will be missing a physical graduation ceremony, YouTube has put together some all-star entertainment. Musical performances by artists like Lady Gaga and BTS will help to make the event feel like as much of a festival as a celebration of the graduating class.
The event will be aimed at all graduation seniors, both high school and college. As a way to make up for the lack of a physical event for any of these students, this event will essentially be a “super graduation.” The pedigree of the speakers is astonishing.
Some of the speakers will include Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and former secretary of defense Robert M. Gates. The event will be stacked with guest appearances, as well, including Kerry Washington, AsapSCIENCE, Zendaya and others.
The massive digital initiative is part of YouTube’s ongoing “Learn@Home” banner. The Alphabet-owned site has been trying to help make the lockdowns during the pandemic easier. YouTube has been offering up learning content for families stuck indoors. This initiative is a partnership with numerous others. These include Michelle Obama’s Reach Higher Initiative, the Born This Way Foundation and others.
The modern era is a strange one. While most social contact is no longer possible, most people’s social lives have gone digital. Unity cloud storage is now the main location for hanging out, simulating the real world over the internet. While hopes are high that a COVID-19 vaccine will return things to normal, for now the world must adapt to reality.
