[Ed. – People need to stop telling 22-year-olds they’re about to start leading the world. They’re not. It’s a disservice to lay that on them.]
Graduating students around the country will be missing out on walking down an aisle to pick up their diplomas due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In order to make up for the loss, Facebook hosted a virtual graduation on Friday and enlisted a host of celebrities to offer words of encouragement.
One of those celebrities was Oprah Winfrey, the main speaker, who is no stranger to commencement speeches. In a video message, Winfrey told graduates “you will lead us.”
She acknowledged there is uncertainty right now, but students’ “values, fortitude and determination” and “guts and imagination” that led them to graduate will also help them get through whatever is coming.
“It is vital that you learn to be at peace with the discomfort of stepping into the unknown,” said Winfrey.
