This year high school and college graduates are finding a different type of graduation ceremony and a different world ahead of them. YouTube hosted a big virtual commencement on Sunday to celebrate the students’ accomplishments. It was headlined by the Obamas, who started with a message together (watch above) before delivering individual messages. The former first couple took an inspirational tone with Michelle Obama telling students (watch above):

“Not only can you do better than those who came before you, you will. So it’s your time… The chance to leave this world a little better than you found it.”

And Barack Obama pointed out the gravity of the world around those graduating, “Graduation is a big achievement under any circumstances. Yours comes as the world is turned upside down by a pandemic, and by a country that has been swept up by protest.”

“America changed, and has always changed, because young people dared to hope. Democracy isn’t about relying on some charismatic leader to make changes from on high. It’s about finding hope in ourselves, and creating it in others. Especially in a time like this. You don’t always need hope when everything’s going fine. It’s when things seem darkest — that’s when you need it the most.

As someone once said: Hope is not a lottery ticket; it’s a hammer for us to use in a national emergency — to break the glass, sound the alarm and sprint into action.”