University of Tennessee swimmer and class of 2020 college graduate Erika Brown is among the group of individuals who will appear in YouTube’s “Dear Class of 2020” video that will premiere on Sunday.
The video, which is scheduled to stream on YouTube on Sunday, June 7 at 3 PM Eastern Time, will feature celebrities from around the country talking to the graduating class of 2020, many of whom have missed out on their traditional in-person graduations because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The event was originally scheduled for June 6, but was postponed by a day due to massive protests planned nationally on Saturday in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in the hands of Minneapolis police.
The event will include an unparalleled list of appearances, including former U.S. President Barack Obama, his wife Michelle Obama, musicians Beyoncé and BTS, former Texas A&M University president and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Games, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, activist Malala Yousa, and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai as commencement speakers.
The list of musical artists who will performance and other celebrities who will make appearances is a who’s-who of the A list of Americana. That includes names like Lizzo (with the New York Philharmonic), Katy Perry, Tom Hanks, Ciara, Peyton Manning, Stephen Colbert, Missy Elliott, Billie Eilish, Bill & Melinda Gates, Snoop Dogg & Martha Stewart, Mark Hamill, Gabrielle UNion & Dwayne Wade, the Cast of Schitt’s Creek, the cast of The Simpsons, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Russell Westbrook, Alicia Keys, Jimmy Kimmel, Jennifer Lopez, Shawn Mendez, Seth Rogen, Demi Lovato, Dude Perfect, Tom Brady, Jenna Bush Hager, Jack Black, and an untold number of other celebrities.
In short: whatever it is that you’re into, this show will have someone on it that speaks to your brand.
That includes swimmers.
Erika Brown, who is a member of that class of 2020, will be among the individuals making appearances in the show. During her senior season, which was cut short by the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic, Brown broke the American Record in the 100 yard fly and was lined up for a run at individual NCAA titles. She led her Tenneessee team to an SEC Championship and finished her career with 18 SEC CHampionship gold medals. She became the first swimmer in SEC history to win conference titles in the same three individual events in three consecutive seasons, and became just the second woman in history to go under 46 seconds in the 100 yard free.
She was also named the 2020 SEC Female Swimmer of the Year, won the 2020 SEC Commissioner’s Trophy, and was a finalist for the Honda Sports Award for women’s swimming.
Full List of Appearances
Commencement Speakers:
President Barack Obama ● Michelle Obama ● Beyoncé Knowles-Carter ● BTS ● Lady Gaga ● Secretary Robert M. Gates ● Sundar Pichai ● Secretary Condoleezza Rice ● Malala Yousafzai
Performances By:
BTS ● Chloe x Halle ● CNCO ● Lizzo + The New York Philharmonic ● Maluma ● Katy Perry ● Megan Thee Stallion ● A Performance of “Beautiful Day” Produced by Finneas, featuring Leon Bridges, Camila Cabello, Noah Cyrus, Ty Dolla $ign, Cynthia Erivo, Khalid, Tove Lo, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Ben Platt ● A Performance of “Still I Rise” featuring Madison Calley, Misty Copeland, Naya Lovell, Janelle Monáe, Shonda Rhimes, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kelly Rowland, Yara Shahidi
Appearances By:
JJ Abrams ● Ray Allen ● La La Anthony ● Jack Black ● Ian Book ● Tom Brady ● Erika Brown ● Jenna Bush Hager ● Andy Cohen ● Stephen Colbert ● Lana Condor ● Cindy Crawford & Kaia Gerber ● Joseph Gordon Levitt ● DJ D-Nice ● Snoop Dogg + Martha Stewart ● Billie Eilish ● Missy Elliott ● Bill & Melinda Gates ● Evan Goldberg ● Jake Gyllenhaal ● Mark Hamill ● Tom Hanks & Rita Wilson ● Michael B. Jordan ● Colin Jost ● Rupi Kaur ● Courtney Kemp ● Keegan Michael Key ● Alicia Keys ● Jimmy Kimmel ● Jennifer Lopez ● Demi Lovato ● Peyton Manning ● Camila Mendes ● Shawn Mendes ● Hasan Minhaj ● Natalie Morales ● John Mulaney ● Katelyn Ohashi ● Chris Pine ● Antoni Porowski ● Billy Porter ● Seth Rogen ● Phoebe Robinson ● Michael Strahan ● Taylor Swift ● Daisy Ridley ● Justin Timberlake ● Gabrielle Union & Dwayne Wade ● Kerry Washington ● Russell Westbrook ● Russell Wilson & Ciara ● The Cast Of Euphoria – Angus Cloud, Jacob Elordi, Barbie Ferreira, Storm Reid, Zendaya ● The Cast of Schitt’s Creek – Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Dan Levy, Annie Murphy, Jenn Robertson, Emily Hampshire, Noah Reid, Karen Robinson, Sarah Levy, Rizwan Manji ● The Cast of The Simpsons
Featured YouTube Creators:
Jackie Aina ● AsapSCIENCE ● Jade Bowler ● Emma Chamberlain ● Nikkie De Jager ● Dude Perfect ● John Green ● Zane Hijazi & Heath Hussar ● Mr. Kate ● Sal Khan ● Prajakta Koli ● Liza Koshy ● Margot Lee ● Vanessa & Veronica Merrell ● Sasha Morga ● Mark Rober ● The Try Guys
