CNCO is celebrating the Class of 2020 in a special way…
The Latino boy band got graduates dancing at home with their party-ready medley of hits on Sunday night (June 7).
CNCO — Christopher, Erick, Zabiel, Richard and Joel — synchronized their own moves, in separate video frames, as they performed “Honey Boo,” “Hey DJ” and “Reggaetón Lento” remotely during the after party following the “Dear Class of 2020” YouTube Originals graduation ceremony.
Earlier in the evening, in the midst of the actual ceremony, they also popped in to teach this year’s grads how to say “Congratulations to the class of 2020” in Spanish.
The virtual graduation ceremony, which started with Lizzo‘s powerhouse flute performance and was chock-full of all-star commencement speeches from the likes of Barack and Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, BTS, Lady Gaga and more, was capped off with a class of 2020 after party with CNCO, Megan Thee Stallion and BTS.
Jennifer Lopez is ready to motivate this year’s graduates…
YouTube has added several speakers and musical performances to Dear Class of 2020, its global virtual commencement ceremony set for June 6, including the 50-year-old Puerto Rican superstar.
In addition to Lopez, others joining Barack and Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga and more as part of the special event are Beyoncé Knowles-Carter— who will deliver an inspirational message to the graduates — La La Anthony, Andy Cohen, Lana Condor, Misty Copeland,Kevin Durant, FINNEAS, Bill & Melinda Gates, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Demi Lovato, Hasan Minhaj, Janelle Monáe,Antoni Porowski, Billy Porter, Phoebe Robinson, Yara Shahidi, Michael Strahan, Taylor Swift, Ciara & Russell Wilson, the casts of Euphoria and Riverdale, Today’s Jenna Bush Hager and Natalie Morales, and YouTub ecreators Emma Chamberlain, John Green, NikkieTutorials, and Mark Rober.
The multi-hour event premieres on Saturday, June 6 on YouTube. Other speakers and performers include BTS, Alicia Keys, Kelly Rowland, Kerry Washington, Chloe x Halle and Zendaya, among others.
Barack and Michelle Obama each will deliver commencement speeches – as well as a joint heartfelt message – to this year’s high school and college seniors who are missing graduation celebrations due to the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, Michelle Obama’s Higher Reach Initiative will host a full hour of content to kick off the celebration.
“Graduation is a tradition that students and families look forward to and with the current state of the world, YouTube is lending some inspiration in the form of a virtual commencement,” said Susanne Daniels, Global Head of Content for YouTube. “We hope bringing together noteworthy, influential speakers along with performances from some of their favorite artists will provide encouragement for the students who have worked so hard to get here.”
In “Dear Class of 2020,” people from around the world will join the class of 2020 as a singular community to celebrate their resilience, and the endless possibilities of their future, says YouTube.
“The festival-style line up combines classic commencement day themes with a diverse array of entertainment that will capture all of the emotions of graduation including pride, hope, optimism, and camaraderie.”
YouTube is working in partnership with Higher Reach, Born This Way Foundation, Malala Fund, TODAY, and Ideas United to showcase student stories and feature graduates around the world, including a crowd-sourced commencement speech. The special will be produced by Done + Dusted.
“Dear Class of 2020” can be streamed on the YouTube Originals channel and the Learn@Home site.
The full schedule of commencement events is available on the Learn@Home site.
Despite ending their year in quarantine, the Class of 2020 is getting some great advice from the 27-year-old half-Dominican American rap superstar and other celebrities.
The event was co-hosted by Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak, with a commencement address by Oprah Winfrey and words of wisdom from Awkwafina, Jennifer Garner, Lil Nas X, Simone Biles and others.
A preview of Cardi B’s speech was released on Thursday, showing the rapper offering her pearls of wisdom.
“It’s more than a diploma,” Cardi B says. “It’s more than graduation. It’s knowledge. It’s knowing that you took it… that you went through those hard nights studying. To this day, I just replay my high school memories in my head, and for the college ones… I didn’t finish college, but I went. I just want to say congrats. Now you’re about to start your life, you’re about to make some money!”
#Graduation2020: Facebook and Instagram Celebrate the Class of 2020 will be available on Facebook Watch and facebook.com/facebookapp.
Highlights and more will be posted to the @instagram account on Instagram and on contributors’ social media accounts.
The LeBron James Family Foundation announced that it’s paying tribute to the class of 2020 with a one-hour multimedia event called Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020, with the 26-year-old Puerto Rican reggaeton and Latin trap singer joining the roster of participating artists.
James’ virtual graduation party for this year’s graduation class, who’s seen their school year cancelled because of the coronavirus, will take place on Saturday, May 16 at 8:00 pm ET simultaneously on NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox— as well as on the streaming platforms Complex Networks, Facebook app, Instagram, People TV, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.
In addition to Bad Bunny, the lineup includes Kane Brown, Lana Condor, David Dobrik, Dolan Twins, Karol G, Liza Koshy, Maren Morris, National Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson, Olivia Wilde, Zendaya, Charli D’Amelio, Dixie D’Amelio, Chika, YBN Cordae, Loren Gray, H.E.R., the Jonas Brothers, Brandan Bmike Odums, Ben Platt, Henry Platt, Jonah Platt, Megan Rapinoe, Yara Shahidi, Lena Waithe, Pharrell Williams, Malala Yousafzaiand many more.
Working with the XQ Instituteand The Entertainment Industry Foundation, the show will allow the companies to honor the more than three million high school seniors who’ll miss out on the annual rite of passage due to the national shutdown caused by the COVID-19pandemic.
“We learned early on in our work with students and families in Akron that education is so much more than academics,” said James in a statement.
“It’s about a shared experience, a journey we’re all on together—students, parents, educators, community members, and everyone around them. With that not being possible right now, we’ve been working to find ways to help families get through this really difficult time. These students have worked incredibly hard for this and there’s no way we can let that go unrecognized. While this won’t be the graduation experience they were supposed to get, we hope we can still give them something special because they deserve it.”
The commercial-free show will be curated by high school students and educators from across the country, with support from the American Federation of Teachers, highlighted by a collection of commencement addresses, celebrity performances and inspirational vignettes.
Students, educators, and families are encouraged to submit their videos and photos online for consideration to be included in the telecast using #GraduateTogether. Artist JR is also inviting seniors to share their portraits for a national virtual yearbook celebrating the entire Class of 2020.
Local TV stations will feature custom breakaways to celebrate the achievements of high school students in their communities.
Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020will be broadcast commercial-free on May 16 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC.