No one imagined an online graduation ceremony and celebration is all they would get in the year 2020. Then again, this year has compelled everyone to reevaluate and re-plan everything in their lives. CTV and WE, to celebrate these unprecedented times, are hosting a virtual bash for the Class of 2020 and Daria Strimbold, the local Burns Lake teen will be representing B.C. in the online celebration.
Strimbold, who is one of the co-valedictorians for the graduating class of 2020 at the Lakes District Secondary School (LDSS) in Burns Lake, was selected from a pool of thousands of graduates to represent the province on this global stage.
“It’s insane. Being from our little town and being chosen as one of the four people across all of Canada, it’s pretty amazing,” said Strimbold when asked about the ceremony. The day she heard about her selection, was also her birthday, so it turned out to be an unexpected birthday gift for her.
The WE Celebrate: Class of 2020 event kicked off with a week-long virtual graduation ceremony of sorts, all across Canada. The final bash is a culmination of all those ceremonies and a final hurrah for the graduates!
For the show, Strimbold did a few interviews with the producers, recorded videos and did Zoom calls with her fellow graduates from Canada. On one such Zoom call hosted by YouTuber, comedian Lilly Singh, the four girls were chatting and “oh my god, suddenly Selena Gomez popped up on the screen” said an ecstatic Strimbold. The girls got the opportunity to chat with Gomez and Singh as a part of this very unusual virtual party.
The one-hour celebration hosted by Singh will be aired on June 6 at 8 p.m. on CTV. The virtual party will also host several other students across Canada and a number of celebrities like Shawn Mendes, Selena Gomez, Jacob Tremblay, Alessia Cara, Natalie Portman and several others. WE Co-founders, Craig Kielburger and Marc Kielburger will also be making an appearance.
Priyanka Ketkar
Multimedia journalist
@PriyankaKetkar
priyanka.ketkar@ldnews.net
Like us on Facebook and follows us on Twitter.
Want to support local journalism during the pandemic? Make a donation here.
