Read Obama's full Graduating Together speech below.
And of course, I couldn't be prouder of all of you and be graduating class of 2020, as well as the teachers and the coaches and most of all, the parents and families who guided you all the way. Now, graduating is a big achievement under any circumstances. Some of you had to overcome serious obstacles along the way, whether it was an illness or a parent losing a job, we're living in a neighborhood where people too often count you out. Along with the usual challenges of growing up, all of you have had to deal with the added pressures of social media, reports of school shootings, and the specter of climate change. And then, just as you're about to celebrate having made it through, just as you've been looking forward to proms and senior nights, graduation ceremonies, and let's face it, a whole bunch of parties, the world was turned upside down by global pandemic. And as much as I'm sure you love your parents, I'll bet the big stuck at home with him playing board games or watching Tiger King on TV is not exactly how you envisioned the last few months of your senior year.
Now, I'll be honest with you, the disappointments of missing, a live graduation, those will pass pretty quick. I don't remember much of my own high school graduation. I know that not having to sit there and listen to a commencement speaker isn't all that bad. Mine usually go on way too long. Also, not that many people look great in those caps, especially if you have big ears like me. You'll have plenty of time to catch up with your friends once the immediate public health crisis is over. But what remains true is that your graduation marks your passage into adulthood. The time when you begin to take charge of your own life. It's when you get to decide what's important to you, the kind of career you want to pursue, who you want to build a family with, the values you want to live by. And given the current state of the world, that may be kind of scary.
If you planned on going away for college, getting dropped off at campus in the fall, that's no longer a given. If you were planning to work while going to school, finding that first job is going to be tough. Even families that are relatively well off, they're dealing with massive uncertainty. Those who were struggling before, they're hanging on by a thread. All of which means that you're going to have to grow up faster than some generations. This pandemic has shaken up the status quo, laid bare a lot of our country's, deep-seated problems, from massive economic inequality, to ongoing racial disparities, to a lack of basic healthcare for people who need it. It's woken a lot of young people up to the fact that the old ways of doing things just don't work. That it doesn't matter how much money you make if everyone around you is hungry and sick, and that our society are not democracy only work when we think not just about ourselves but about each other. It's also pull the curtain back on another hard truth, something that we all have to eventually accept once our childhood comes to an end. You know all those adults that used to think [they were] in charge or knew what they were doing? Turns out they don't have all the answers. A lot of them aren't even asking the right questions. So if the world's going to get better, it's going to be up to you.