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Graduation is a little different this year for high school students across America with campuses closed down and, no doubt, a lot of uncertainty about the future.
But in true, inspirational Oprah-style, the media queen is reminding the “pandemic class” of 2020 that they are “indeed the chosen class for such a time as this.”
In a powerful speech delivered through a live stream on Facebook, Ms Winfrey has asked students to think about what their “essential service” could be and how they could “step into the future with more purpose and vision, passion and energy and hope.”
Photo: Facebook
“Can you use this disorder that COVID-19 has brought? Can you greet it as an uninvited guest that’s come into our midst to reorder our way of being?” she asked.
“Can you, the class of 2020, show us not how to put the pieces back together again, but how to create a more new and more evolved normal? A world more just, kind, beautiful, tender, luminous, creative, whole.”
Oprah urged students to use what they’ve “learned in their heads” and what they’ve “felt in their hearts” during these uncertain times to find their purpose in the world.
She also highlighted the important role so many people have played during the pandemic:
“Look who turns out to be essential. Teachers, your teachers, healthcare workers, the people stocking grocery shelves, the cashiers, truck drivers, food providers, those who are caring for your grandparents, those who are cleaning where we work and shop and carry out our daily lives.”
Actress Jennifer Garner and singers Miley Cyrus, Cardi B and John Mayer also joined the live stream to share some uplifiting words and music.
You can watch Oprah’s full speech below: