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HER CAMPUS TO HOST 2ND EPIC VIRTUAL GRADUATION CEREMONY “TO THE FUTURE”

Her Campus Media

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Sunshine Sachs
Jamie Warner/Savannah Stephens
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hercampus@sunshinesachs.com

HER CAMPUS TO HOST 2ND EPIC VIRTUAL GRADUATION CEREMONY
“TO THE FUTURE”

-ALL-STAR LINE-UP CELEBRATES THE CLASS OF 2021 WITH APPEARANCES BY KATIE COURIC, BEBE REXHA, DIANE VON FURSTENBERG, SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN, BRIE AND NIKKI BELLA, ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES, MARISKA HARGITAY, JAMIE CHUNG, SANYA RICHARDS-ROSS, TAN FRANCE, WHITNEY WOLFE HERD, GRETCHEN CARLSON, DARA TRESEDER AND WITH A MUSICAL PERFORMANCE BY DEAR EVAN HANSEN

May 3, 2021 (Boston, MA) – Today, Her Campus, the number one media brand for college women with over 400 campus chapters across the country announced “Graduation 2021: To the Future'' a virtual, mega graduation ceremony celebrating the nation’s Class of 2021 that will take place on Friday, May 14 at 12pm EST. The event will be digitally broadcast for free on cheerstothefuture.com. A diverse all-star line-up including Katie Couric (Award-winning journalist, Founder of Katie Couric Media, Co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer), Bebe Rexha (Music Artist), Diane von Furstenberg (Founder, Author and Philanthropist), Senator Elizabeth Warren, Brie and Nikki Bella (WWE Hall of Famers, Entrepreneurs and NYT Best-selling authors), Attorney General Letitia James, Mariska Hargitay (Actress/Producer), Jamie Chung (Actress), Sanya Richards-Ross (Olympic Champion & TV Personality), Tan France (Fashion Designer), Whitney Wolfe Herd (Founder & CEO, Bumble), Gretchen Carlson (Acclaimed Journalist, Author & Empowerment Advocate), Dara Treseder (SVP, Head of Global Marketing & Communications at Peloton), and many more will join together for commencement toasts, speeches and performances to honor the Class of 2021. The ceremony will also include speeches and performances from Class of 2021 graduates themselves, selected by application.

The line-up will also feature a host of luminaries across industries including: Alison Malmon (Executive Director and Founder, Active Minds), Alyssa Carson (Aspiring Astronaut), Almost Monday (Pop Trio), Amanda LaCount (Professional Dancer & Body Positive Influencer), Amber Stevens West (Actress), Andrew Gelwicks (Celebrity Stylist), Ariel Winter (Actress/Producer), Antonia Gentry (Actress), Bailee Madison (Actress/Producer/Singer), Birdy (Artist), Ellie Goldstein (Model), Frankie Jonas (Content Creator), Illumitati aka Tati Bruening (Photographer), Jeni Britton Bauer (Founder, Chief Creative Officer, Jeni’s Ice Cream), Jocelyne & Monique Lamoureux (Olympic Gold Medalists), Congressmember Judy Chu, Kaitlin Reagan & Francesco LoPresti (Social Media Star), Kasie Hunt (NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent and host of MSNBC’s “Way Too Early with Kasie Hunt”), Kennedy Murray (Social Content Creator/Influencer), Rep. Lauren Underwood, Mabel (Artist/Musician), Maddie & Tae (UMG Nashville Recording Artists), Madeleine Arthur (Actor), Mae Muller (Artist), Maya Penn (Environmental Activist, Animator & Eco-Designer), Mickey Guyton (UMG Nashville Recording Artist), Mimoza (Singer & Songwriter), Nadya Okamoto (Co-founder and CEO of ItsAugust), NaeNaeTwins (Influencers), Nathan Chen (US Figure Skater), Pamela Brown (CNN Anchor & Senior Washington Correspondent), Phaidra Knight (Athlete/Entrepreneur), Priscilla Ono (Fenty Beauty Global Makeup Artist), Remi Bader (Curve Model and Content Creator), Rod Thill (Corporate Millennial/Content Creator), Savannah Sellers (NBC News and MSNBC Correspondent; co-host of Morning News NOW and NBC News' Stay Tuned), Terrell Hines (Artist), TJ Lavin (Athlete/Host), amongst others to be announced.

The event will also feature musical performances by Dear Evan Hansen (Broadway, North American Tour, and London companies of the “cultural phenomenon” musical), Almost Monday (Pop Trio), CAL (Singer, Producer & Songwriter), Citizen Queen (Girl Group), ella jane (Musician), MICHELLE (Musical Collective) and Priscilla Block (UMG Nashville Recording Artist).

“We are so thrilled to host our second virtual graduation, ‘To the Future,’ a ceremony to honor and celebrate this year’s graduating class and the hope they represent for our future,” said Stephanie Kaplan Lewis, co-founder, CEO & Editor-in-Chief of Her Campus Media.“With so many college graduations still not taking place in person this year, we know it will be challenging for many families and friends to get together to celebrate this huge milestone in a way that feels properly momentous. Our goal with ‘To the Future’ is to make this moment as special as possible for the graduating class. We are so grateful to our inspirational speakers and performers who are coming together to rally behind these students who are sure to be the country’s next generation of leaders.”

Fourteen graduating students from across the country have been selected by Her Campus to perform and/or speak to the graduating class after an application process. They will be featured alongside notable politicians, CEOs, athletes, authors, and celebrities. The students include:

  • Ainae Nielsen (Howard University and contestant from this season of The Voice)

  • Aiyana Ishmael (Florida A&M University)

  • Chareese Vandyke (Salisbury University)

  • Denise Rosete (ise) (University of California - Irvine)

  • Kaitlin Chau (San Diego State University)

  • Karla Maiden-Vazquez (University of Tampa)

  • Maria Infante (The University of Illinois at Chicago)

  • Mollie Guerrero (University of Central Florida)

  • Nhu Do (Duke University)

  • Nikki Kearney (Boston College)

  • Olivia Lombardo (Staten Island Academy High School)

  • Priyanka Moorjani (PM) (King's College London & University of Lincoln with the Guardian)

  • Shriya Boppana (Carnegie Mellon University)

  • Tamera Carter (Ohio University)

More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, college students across the country have been impacted in major ways – whether it’s learning while at home fully remote or through an in-person format a few days a week, students know they will endure the hardship of finding employment in an uncertain job market with unemployment affecting more than 9.7 million people (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

“The Class of 2021 is inspirational. Since last March, Gen-Zers have really stepped up their commitment to make this world and our immediate communities a better place, even while experiencing so much hardship themselves. Our student speakers and performers are just a small sample of this graduating class, which has already achieved so much and faced uncertainty. We are thrilled to create this space for a second year in a row to recognize their achievements, with the pomp and circumstance they deserve,” said Annie Wang, co-founder, Chief Product Officer & Creative Director, and Windsor Hanger Western, co-founder, President & Publisher of Her Campus Media and the co-hosts of the event.

Graduation 2021: To the Future will be put on in partnership with Active Minds, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization supporting mental health awareness and education for young adults, for the second year in a row, in recognition of the toll the pandemic has taken on college students’ mental health, and coinciding with May as Mental Health Awareness Month. Event sponsors include Bumble, Lulus who is hosting a shopping giveaway for students across TikTok and Instagram, Pocket by Mozilla who is sponsoring a writing contest for students, Nair, Minted, Sally Hansen, Hallmark and First Aid Beauty.

To learn more, please visit cheerstothefuture.com and be sure to tune in on Friday, May 14, 2021 at 12pm EST on cheerstothefuture.com and share on social with #ToTheFuture2021.

About Her Campus Media

Her Campus Media is the #1 media portfolio for college women and Gen Z, reaching 130MM+ social followers and 20MM+ monthly unique visitors across its family of brands Her Campus, Spoon University, College Fashionista, InfluenceHer Collective, and Generation Hired, and network of 45,000+ influencers and ambassadors across 1,500+ colleges. Leveraging its digital, social, experiential, influencer and on-campus reach, Her Campus Media provides award-winning integrated marketing programs for leading brands. Her Campus has been named to Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2021, Entrepreneur magazine's Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America, and Forbes 100 Best Websites for Women among other accolades.

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