Oprah Winfrey to Present the Class of 2020 Commencement Address Via Facebook and Instagram

Due to the global spread of the COVID-19, or novel coronavirus, pandemic, graduation ceremonies from grade school through college have been canceled, leaving the class of 2020 with no celebrations to honor their achievements. After a request from a student went viral, media mogul Oprah Winfrey has come forward to help this year’s graduates with a special treat through social media.

According to Deadline, Winfrey will be the featured commencement speaker for #Graduation 2020: Facebook and Instagram Celebrate the Class of 2020, a multi-hour streaming event set for May 15 on both platforms for graduating students to celebrate with each other virtually for seniors whose commencement ceremonies have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Facebook and Instagram will be honoring the class of 2020 with a virtual graduation event. It also will feature words of wisdom from Awkwafina, Jennifer Garner, Lil Nas X, Simone Biles, and more.

Miley Cyrus is scheduled for a special performance of her hit song, “The Climb.” The video will be broadcast on Facebook Watch with individual segments to be posted on Instagram, as well as contributors’ social media accounts.

The tech company’s announcement comes after other companies have shared adapted graduation plans due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Her Campus, a female-focused company that owns Spoon University, College Fashionista, and InfluenceHer Collective has also shared that it is organizing another virtual event called I’m Still Graduating, an online graduation ceremony, taking place May 15 at 12 p.m. ET. Eva Longoria, Radhika Jones, Margaret Cho, Brooke Baldwin, Liam Payne, Jesse McCartney, Andrew Yang, and Tamron Hall are set to speak at the ceremony, which will feature speeches, toasts, and performances.

Hillary Clinton, Jimmy Fallon, John Legend, and a dozen others have also recorded commencement speeches for seniors. Their orations will be available May 15 as part of the iHeart podcast special Commencement: Speeches for the Class of 2020.