Bethesda-Chevy Chase High seniors wanted Michelle Obama to speak at graduation. They got their wish. 

Former first lady offers advice in video message during Monday’s ceremony

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June 2, 2026 10:47 a.m.

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For months, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School seniors publicly begged former first lady Michelle Obama to speak at their June graduation ceremony.  

While Obama did not make an in-person appearance at Monday’s ceremony at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in Baltimore, she did send a video message that was shown during the ceremony.  

Noah Grosberg, vice president of the Student Government Association, introduced the Obama message to cheers during the middle of the ceremony. He shared how he had never thought in his wildest dreams it would get to this point, saying the video message was a testament to the strength of the school community. 

“I watched a community form around hope — real hope,” Grosberg said in his speech. “If this year taught me anything, it’s that the courage we find in one another gives me hope.” 

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In the video, Obama told the graduates how proud she was of them. 

“We need your heart, your ideas, your optimism, more than ever,” Obama said. “Participation in our democracy is the only way to build a community and a country that reflects who you are and what you believe.”  

The SGA at the Bethesda school began its campaign to secure Obama as a graduation speaker by posting videos on Instagram starting in September to try to get her attention. These ranged from a performance by the B-CC Step Team to a chant at a football game in September that received more than 361,000 likes. 

In the first of these videos, Grosberg said that the school admires Obama and would love for her to speak at the B-CC graduation to “inspire the future generations of Americans.” 

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Shortly after, Obama commented on one of the Instagram videos, saying “it’s a credit to what you and so many others in your generation can get done through the power of organizing.”  

She also said her team was in touch with the school to try to “organize something special,” and asked the students to share what gives them hope.  

This led to a new series of videos, in which students from all over the school shared what gave them hope — from their dance teams to kindness for each other, and family and friends. Even young adult fiction author Jason Reynolds, who grew up in Oxon Hill in Prince George’s County, was featured in a video during his visit to B-CC in February.  

“The connections you make with others, especially those formed in moments of struggle, those make your life so much richer,” Obama said. “They make our communities and our country stronger, too.  

As for what gives Michelle Obama hope, she said it’s the students of B-CC.  

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“No matter what comes next, I want you to know that you have so many people cheering you on,” Obama said. “I have no doubt that if you all are leading the way in the years ahead, we’re going to be just fine.”  

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine