The 44th U.S. president is teaming up with stars like Lady Gaga and LeBron James to celebrate high school seniors nationwide.
Barack Obama is doing his best to ensure that high school seniors across the country still get to celebrate graduation amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The 44th president of the United States announced on Tuesday that he and his wife, Michelle Obama, will participate in a series of virtual commencements for the Class of 2020.
"I've always loved joining commencements -- the culmination of years of hard work and sacrifice," Barack tweeted. "Even if we can't get together in person this year, Michelle and I are excited to celebrate the nationwide Class of 2020 and recognize this milestone with you and your loved ones."
On Saturday, May 16, Barack will partake in Graduate Together: America Honors the Class of 2020, a one-hour primetime special airing simultaneously on ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC (and streaming on various online platforms like CBS All Access) starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Barack is expected to congratulate the Class of 2020 on all their accomplishments over the past four years, while also discussing how the COVID-19 outbreak has forced students in every high school across the country to adjust to new ways of learning, connecting and missing out on once-in-a-lifetime milestones. Other celebrity guests include LeBron James, Megan Rapinoe, Pharrell Williams, Yara Shahidi, Bad Bunny, the Jonas Brothers and H.E.R.
Then, on Saturday, June 6, the Obamas will be featured commencement speakers for YouTube Originals' Dear Class of 2020 multi-hour event. Michelle's Reach Higher initiative will host a full hour of content to officially kick off the celebration.
The virtual commencement will begin streaming on the YouTube Originals channel and the Learn@Home site starting at 3 p.m. ET, and will include other A-list guests like Lady Gaga, BTS, Alicia Keys, Kelly Rowland, Kerry Washington and Zendaya, along with inspirational leaders and notable creators.
"I'm so excited to speak to the class of 2020 with @BarackObama, @MichelleObama, @BTS_twt and many more incredible people as we celebrate your accomplishments in this graduate #withme livestream event," Gaga tweeted.
For more stories that are bringing us joy amid quarantine, check out ET's Good News section here.
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