Tom Hanks continues to be a national treasure.
The 63-year-old actor is spreading positivity and encouragement to college graduates who weren’t able to have an in-person ceremony due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Considering the Forrest Gump alum has personally experienced the COVID-19 outbreak, after he and Rita Wilson tested positive back in March, it makes sense he would bring hope to the youth.
On Saturday, Hanks surprised the 2020 graduating class of Wright State University with an epic virtual video message.
“I’m here to say congratulations to you chosen ones,” the Oscar winner began his 5-minute video. “And I am calling you the chosen ones because you have been chosen in many ways.”
“You are the chosen ones because of a fate unimagined when you began your Wright State adventures,” Hanks continued his heartfelt message. ”You started in the olden times, in a world back before the Great Pandemic of 2020. You will talk of those earlier years in your lives in just that way.”
He went on to explain that people will remember this time as “before” COVID-19, “in the same way other generations tell time like ‘that was before the war,’ or ‘that was before the internet,’ or ‘that was before Beyoncé.'”
“The word ‘before’ is going to carry a great weight with you,” he added.
“You’ve gone from student to graduate with more that is expected of you than to just be an American,” he said. “You’ve had to be responsible Americans. You’ve had to be good Americans. Good Americans that have made sacrifices that have saved lives.”
“You will be enlightened in ways your degree never held in promise,” Hanks continued. “You will have made it through a time of great sacrifice and great need. No one will be more fresh to the task of restarting our normalcy than you—our chosen ones.”
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
The actor’s words of encouragement to college graduates comes less than a week after he revealed that he and Rita donated their plasma. The couple has since recovered from COVID-19 and are doing what they can to help.
“Here’s last week’s bag of plasma,” the actor shared on Instagram, alongside a picture of his donation. “Such a bag! After the paperwork, it’s as easy as taking a nap. Thanks @arimoin and UCLA. Hanx.”
The actress also shared a picture of herself giving blood.
“A photo of getting tested for antibodies in preparation of donating plasma. Thank you Dr. Anne Rimoin at UCLA for the study you’re working on to help patients heal from COVID-19,” Rita expressed.
That same week, Hanks explained during an interview with NPR’s podcast Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!, that he and his wife ”found out that we do carry the antibodies.”
“We will be giving it now to the places that hope to work on what I would like to call the Hank-ccine,” he said.