Her Campus, a Boston-based media company for college women, will host a virtual graduation event on May 15 called “I’m Still Graduating” for college seniors who will miss out on a traditional graduation ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event, which will begin at noon at imstillgraduating.com, will feature speeches and performances from several well-known entertainers and personalities, including Eva Longoria, Tamron Hall, Billie Jean King, Jesse McCartney, Radhika Jones, Brooke Baldwin, Andrew Yang, Alisyn Camerota, John Kasich, Kenneth Cole, Rebecca Minkoff, and Margaret Cho, according to a statement released Monday.
Graduating seniors also are invited to apply for the chance to speak or showcase their own talents, officials said.
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“We’re turning the letdown of a missed graduation experience on its head and bringing together the line-up of our dreams to deliver commencement addresses and performances that will inspire, motivate, and uplift at a time that this year’s graduates, and all of us, need it most," Her Campus co-founder and CEO Stephanie Kaplan Lewis said in the statement.
The event will be held in partnership with Active Minds, a nonprofit with the goal of raising awareness about mental health among college students, according to event officials. Students will be encouraged to participate in the organization’s “Here For You” campaign in a show of solidarity for those struggling with mental illness.
In addition to enjoying appearances by celebrities, students will also be able to customize their own graduation page, where they can share photos, videos, and make memories with other graduating students around the world, the statement said.
Applications to participate in the event as a speaker or performer are due April 30 through the “I’m Still Graduating" site.
Some Boston-area schools, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Emerson College, will hold their own virtual commencement this spring. Other students from Berklee College of Music, Emerson, and Boston University plan to host their own graduation ceremony through the “Minecraft” video game.
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