June 8, 2025
Kamala Harris Surprises Graduating Class At Compton High
Harris’ visit was sparked by a heartfelt letter graduating senior MyShay Causey gave Doug Emhoff while working her restaurant job in April.
Kamala Harris may be easing back into civilian life as she considers her political future, but she hasn’t lost her flair for a grand entrance—just ask Compton High School’s Class of 2025.
According to NBC 4, Harris’s visit was made possible by graduating senior MyShay Causey, who caught the former Vice President’s attention with a heartfelt letter she wrote to former second gentleman Doug Emhoff during a shift at her part-time job at a downtown Los Angeles restaurant in April.
Causey’s letter explained some of what she and her classmates were doing at the high school and her role as a student leader at Compton High.
After Emhoff was handed the letter, Causey told the outlet that she asked him to give it to his wife, former California Sen. Kamala Harris. On the same day she gave the letter to Emhoff, Causey said she received a call from Harris, which she shared with fellow members of the Compton Unified School District student board at a meeting.
“I go to the school board meeting the exact same day and said, ‘Hey, guys, I just got off the phone with Kamala Harris. What can I invite her to?’ And they immediately tell me, ‘The graduation,’” Causey told the outlet.
As Politico reported, when Harris appeared at the graduation—more to the point—her Black SUV appeared—some onlookers speculated that it might be Beyoncé, but it was the former vice president of the United States who did not give a speech, but stood on the stage for an hour as students walked the stage.
“It’s not often you get somebody from Compton North — Oakland — hanging out with us here in the CPT,” Micah Ali, the president of the Compton Unified school board, said from the stage. Ali later awarded Harris an honorary degree, proclaiming the former vice president as the “first graduate” of the school’s new campus.
Causey, who did give a speech, described the hastily written “full page essay” she gave to Emhoff and explained how her class is shattering stereotypes about Compton.
According to Causey, she wrote the former vice president and second gentleman about “how if anyone showed up here at Compton High, they would be so proud of the people coming out of and surprised because it’s way different than what other people have ever said about us.”
To Causey’s point, the majority of students at Compton High School are headed to attend institutions of higher learning—87% of students in the class have been accepted at two and four-year universities—Causey herself is heading to the Ivy League, she will attend Cornell University in the fall and others have been accepted into UCLA, UC Berkeley, and UC Irvine among others.
According to an Instagram post from the district, “Today, the Compton High School Class of 2025 became the first class to graduate at the brand new Compton High School campus! This historic moment was made even more special with a visit from Vice President Kamala Harris, who attended as the personal guest of Student Board Member MyShay Causey.”
The district concluded, “This is more than just a graduation — it’s a moment that will live on in Compton history. Congratulations, Compton High School Class of 2025! You are the future and the future looks BRIGHT!”
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