Kamala Harris makes surprise appearance at Compton High School graduation ceremony

By Dean Fioresi

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    COMPTON, California (KCAL/KCBS) — Former Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance at the Compton High School graduation ceremony on Thursday.

Though she didn’t give a speech, she spent the entire ceremony on stage as the more than 300 graduates and their families filled the school’s brand new football stadium.

In a post on X, Harris said that she was personally invited to the commencement by one of the school’s seniors named MyShay Causey. Their conversation took place after the student saw Harris and her husband dining at a restaurant where she was an employee.

“She wrote a note to me and shared it with him, telling me about her incredible work in her community and her dream to work in education policy,” Harris’ post said. “We spoke on the phone, and she invited me to attend Compton High School’s graduation. It was my honor to attend her ceremony today and celebrate the outstanding Class of 2025.”

The Compton Unified School District shared video footage of the event, which shows some seniors taking selfies with Harris and even being handed what looked to be an honorary diploma from CUSD Board President Micah Ali.

According to an Instagram post from the district, Causey was one of the 87% of graduation seniors who were accepted into two and four year colleges, which include Cornell, UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC Irvine, among many others.

“This is more than just a graduation — it’s a moment that will live on in Compton history,” the post said.

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