Andrew Lipovsky/NBC(FLORIDA) — Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon made a surprise appearance at Parkland, Florida’s Marjory Stonemen Douglass High School, to deliver the commencement speech and praise the students for their activism following the February shooting that claimed 17 lives, according to the Miami Herald.
“Keep making good choices,” Fallon, 43, said. “I’m not saying it because you need to learn it. I’m saying it because you already taught it to all of us.”
“I can’t promise that life will be easy, but if you make good choices and keep moving forward, I can promise that it will get better in ways you haven’t even thought of,” added Fallon.
While the tone of Fallon’s speech was mostly serious, the Saturday Night Live alum did manage to slip in a few topical jokes.
“Today, you are graduating from high school. You should be incredibly proud of yourselves. That does not mean you should rest on your laurels, or your yannys,” he joked, referring to the audio clip that sparked a lively social media debate.
The families of four seniors killed in the shooting — Nicolas Dworet, Joaquin Oliver, Carmen Schentrup and Meadow Pollack — were awarded diplomas on their behalf. The graduates also wore sashes that read “MSD Strong.”
Following the ceremony, Fallon tweeted: “Congratulations Marjory Stoneman Douglas Class of 2018! You are not just the future – you are the present. Keep changing the world. Keep making us proud. #MSDStrong#YouAreThePresent.”
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