Latest news with #ComptonHighSchool
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Harris makes appearance at Los Angeles high school graduation
Former Vice President Harris made a surprise appearance at a Los Angeles high school graduation ceremony on Thursday as she weighs her future political options. Harris was at Compton High School graduation, where she did not address the crowd, but was engaging with and taking selfies with students. The former vice president was invited by Compton High School's graduating senior MyShay Causey, who will be attending Cornell University in the fall. 'As a black woman myself, I look up to the way she's portrayed herself,' Causey said in an interview with NBC4. Harris, who lost to President Trump in the 2024 presidential election in November, is thought to be mulling a gubernatorial run to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who is term-limited. She is expected to make a decision by the end of the summer. Since the election, Harris has given a few speeches, including some where she took aim at Trump and his handling of the presidency. 'It's an agenda, a narrow, self-serving vision of America where they punish truth tellers, favor loyalists, cash in on their power and leave everyone to fend for themselves. All while abandoning allies and retreating from the world,' Harris said during her keynote address at the Emerge gala in late April. The former vice president said during her speech at a leadership summit for Black women in California in early April that 'I'm not going anywhere.' Harris also signed with Creative Artists Agency in February. The talent agency said it will represent the former vice president 'in all areas, focusing on speaking engagements and publishing.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
5 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Kamala Harris makes surprise appearance at Compton High School graduation ceremony
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.
The Hill
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Harris makes appearance at Los Angeles high school graduation
Former Vice President Harris made a surprise appearance at a Los Angeles high school graduation ceremony on Thursday as she weighs her future political options. Harris was at Compton High School graduation, where she did not address the crowd, but was engaging with and taking selfies with students. The former vice president was invited by Compton High School's graduating senior MyShay Causey, who will be attending Cornell University in the fall. 'As a black woman myself, I look up to the way she's portrayed herself,' Causey said in an interview with NBC4. Harris, who lost to President Trump in the 2024 presidential election in November, is thought to be mulling a gubernatorial run to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who is term-limited. She is expected to make a decision by the end of the summer. Since the election, Harris has given a few speeches, including some where she took aim at Trump and his handling of the presidency. 'It's an agenda, a narrow, self-serving vision of America where they punish truth tellers, favor loyalists, cash in on their power and leave everyone to fend for themselves. All while abandoning allies and retreating from the world,' Harris said during her keynote address at the Emerge gala in late April. The former vice president said during her speech at a leadership summit for Black women in California in early April that 'I'm not going anywhere.' Harris also signed with Creative Artists Agency in February. The talent agency said it will represent the former vice president 'in all areas, focusing on speaking engagements and publishing.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Their political futures uncertain, Newsom and Harris go on the road to Compton to feed young dreams
California's two most prominent Democrats remain mum on their future plans, but former Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Gavin Newsom both took time to tend to their political personas in Compton Thursday, attending separate events at local schools. As hundreds of graduating seniors crossed the stage in their blue and white regalia early that morning at Compton High School, many paused to shake hands and take selfies with an honored guest on the dais: the former vice president herself, who'd made a surprise appearance after being invited by a graduating student. Several hours later, Newsom read to young students at Compton's Clinton Elementary School before standing with local leaders in front of a cheery, cartoon mural to launch a new state literacy plan. The issue is one of deep importance to the governor, whose own educational career was often defined by his dyslexia. Read more: Who is running for California governor in 2026? Meet the candidates The adjacent appearances, which occurred a few miles apart, were "coincidental," Newsom said. But they come at a moment when both the high-octane Democrats are in a political limbo of sorts. The pair are viewed as potential 2028 presidential candidates, but the California political world is also waiting on tenterhooks to see if Harris enters California's 2026 race for governor – a move that would almost certainly preclude a 2028 presidential bid. Harris is expected to make a decision by summer, and her entrance would upend the already crowded race. With just 19 months left in his second and final term, the lame duck governor is scrambling to cement his gubernatorial legacy while also positioning himself as a pragmatic leader capable of steering his national party out of the wilderness. Harris, meanwhile, must decide if she actually wants to govern a famously unwieldy state and, if she does, whether California voters feel the same. Both Harris and Newsom were notably absent at the state party convention last weekend, as thousands of party delegates, activists, donors and labor leaders convened in Anaheim. Newsom was a famously loyal surrogate to then-President Biden. But in recent months with his 'This Is Gavin Newsom' podcast and its long list of Democratic bête noire guests, the governor has worked to publicly differentiate his own brand from that of his bedraggled party, one controversial interview at a time. Meanwhile, Newsom — who previously scoffed at the speculation and said he wasn't considering a bid for the White House, despite his manifest ambitions — is more openly acknowledging that he could run for the country's top job in the future. 'I might,' Newsom said in an interview last month. 'I don't know, but I have to have a burning why, and I have to have a compelling vision that distinguishes myself from anybody else. Without that, without both, and, I don't deserve to even be in the conversation.' Newsom demurred Thursday when asked whether he thought Harris would run for governor. "Look, I got someone right behind me running for governor, so I'm going to be very careful here," Newsom said to laughter, as California Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond — who announced his 2026 gubernatorial bid back in September 2023 — smiled behind him. Harris attended the Compton High graduation at the invitation of Compton Unified School District Student Board Member MyShay Causey, a student athlete and graduating senior. She did not speak at the ceremony, though she received an honorary diploma. Staff writer Taryn Luna contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Their political futures uncertain, Newsom and Harris go on the road to Compton to feed young dreams
California's two most prominent Democrats remain mum on their future plans, but former Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Gavin Newsom both took time to tend to their political personas in Compton Thursday, attending separate events at local schools. As hundreds of graduating seniors crossed the stage in their blue and white regalia early that morning at Compton High School, many paused to shake hands and take selfies with an honored guest on the dais: the former vice president herself, who'd made a surprise appearance after being invited by a graduating student. Several hours later, Newsom read to young students at Compton's Clinton Elementary School before standing with local leaders in front of a cheery, cartoon mural to launch a new state literacy plan. The issue is one of deep importance to the governor, whose own educational career was often defined by his dyslexia. The adjacent appearances, which occurred a few miles apart, were 'coincidental,' Newsom said. But they come at a moment when both the high-octane Democrats are in a political limbo of sorts. The pair are viewed as potential 2028 presidential candidates, but the California political world is also waiting on tenterhooks to see if Harris enters California's 2026 race for governor – a move that would almost certainly preclude a 2028 presidential bid. Harris is expected to make a decision by summer, and her entrance would upend the already crowded race. With just 19 months left in his second and final term, the lame duck governor is scrambling to cement his gubernatorial legacy while also positioning himself as a pragmatic leader capable of steering his national party out of the wilderness. Harris, meanwhile, must decide if she actually wants to govern a famously unwieldy state and, if she does, whether California voters feel the same. Both Harris and Newsom were notably absent at the state party convention last weekend, as thousands of party delegates, activists, donors and labor leaders convened in Anaheim. Newsom was a famously loyal surrogate to then-President Biden. But in recent months with his 'This Is Gavin Newsom' podcast and its long list of Democratic bête noire guests, the governor has worked to publicly differentiate his own brand from that of his bedraggled party, one controversial interview at a time. Meanwhile, Newsom — who previously scoffed at the speculation and said he wasn't considering a bid for the White House, despite his manifest ambitions — is more openly acknowledging that he could run for the country's top job in the future. 'I might,' Newsom said in an interview last month. 'I don't know, but I have to have a burning why, and I have to have a compelling vision that distinguishes myself from anybody else. Without that, without both, and, I don't deserve to even be in the conversation.' Newsom demurred Thursday when asked whether he thought Harris would run for governor. 'Look, I got someone right behind me running for governor, so I'm going to be very careful here,' Newsom said to laughter, as California Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond — who announced his 2026 gubernatorial bid back in September 2023 — smiled behind him. Harris attended the Compton High graduation at the invitation of Compton Unified School District Student Board Member MyShay Causey, a student athlete and graduating senior. She did not speak at the ceremony, though she received an honorary diploma. Staff writer Taryn Luna contributed to this report.
