Michelle Obama hails Covid-hit class of 2021 for graduating in spite of pandemic: ‘I am so, so proud’

Michelle Obama has offered words of encouragement to the graduating class of 2021, with the former first lady hailing the students for overcoming “so much this year with grace and humour” and saying that she is “so proud” of them.

In a short note on her Instagram, Ms Obama praised the students for tackling various challenges during the pandemic — “from navigating virtual learning to finding new ways to develop relationships with teachers and classmates”. She told the students in an uplifting note that: “You should be incredibly proud of everything you’ve accomplished.”

Congratulating the class of 2021, Ms Obama told the students that in a year of difficulty and loss, “you never gave up or called it quits. Instead, you studied.”

When the World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 a pandemic last year, educational institutions across the world switched to virtual classes and teachers, students and parents all had to adapt to an entirely new way of life.

On Instagram, Ms Obama posted her own graduation photo in a convocation gown and mortarboard and told the students: “I am so, so proud of you. Because after what we’ve seen this year, I know you will get through whatever life throws at you. Because guess what? Life threw an awful lot at you. And you didn’t blink.”

Reminiscing about her own journey from a young person into adulthood, she wrote: “The excitement I felt was often accompanied by doubts and worries. I still remember all those questions I kept asking myself. Am I good enough? Am I smart enough? Can I do this?” She goes on to say: “Over time, I proved to myself that the answer to all of these questions was ‘yes’.”

Empathising with the class of 2021, she said that some of them might be feeling some self-doubt; she encouraged: “So what I want to say to you is this: In a year when so much of society—so much of humanity—slowed down for a bit, you all pushed yourselves harder.

“You studied. You marched. You kept one another safe. And you took those first steps toward building a brighter future not just for yourselves but for all of us,” she said, adding: “After what we’ve seen this year, I know you will get through whatever life throws at you.”

She closed her message with these remarks: “Congratulations again, graduates. I’ll be rooting for you in the months and years ahead.”

During her tenure as first lady, Ms Obama started the “Reach Higher” initiative that aimed to “inspire every student in America to take charge of their future by completing their education past high school, whether at a professional training program, a community college, or a four-year college or university”.

Ms Obama graduated from Princeton University cum laude in 1985 with a BA in Sociology. She went on to study law at Harvard Law School.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama shared details about the couple’s upcoming “Higher Ground: We The People” project on Twitter. He tweeted: “Michelle and I are excited to share our latest show from Higher Ground: We The People. Some of our favourite artists got together with amazing animators to remix civics—and the result is a lot better than what we had in school.” The show is scheduled to be out on Netflix on 4 July. The Obamas are the executive producers of the show.