Bethesda high school hopes to land Michelle Obama as commencement speaker

Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School has turned to Instagram with the hope of Michelle Obama joining them on graduation day next year as their commencement speaker.

B-CC’s graduation day is scheduled for June 1, 2026, and the school has been asking for the former first lady to attend since September. Their first video, posted on Sept. 11, has received over 40,000 views on Instagram, a very respectable showing. But it was the school’s fifth video — featuring students outside cheering from the bleachers, that blew up on social media with over three million views.

The social media campaign was started by Noah Grosberg, the vice president of the Student Government Association. The senior was inspired after seeing the first lady’s documentary, Becoming, on Netflix. “We grew up with her, she’s an amazing speaker, and we’d be honored to have her at B-CC,” Grosberg told NBC4. The senior introduces each video by counting the days that they’ve been asking and urging viewers to tag the former first lady. The former first lady has taken notice, making a comment on one of their recent posts saying she was moved by the campaign. “It’s a credit to what you and so many others in your generation can get done through organizing,” she said. She added that her team is in touch with the school and working on something special, saying she wants to hear their hopes. The students have made it clear that their hope is that Michelle Obama will join them next year when they’re wearing their caps and gowns. WTOP’s Jeffery Leon contributed to this story.