Bill and Melinda Gates have urged the graduating class of 2020 to use their voice and vote to advance change in the face of the rampaging coronavirus crisis that has killed more than a quarter of a million people around the globe and brought the world to a juddering halt.

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“If this crisis has inspired you to pursue a career in public service, that’s fantastic—but it’s not the only way to contribute,” the couple wrote on their website GatesNotes.

“You can always use your voice and your vote to advance change. You can insist on policies that create a healthier, better future for everyone, everywhere—whether they live down the street or on the other side of the planet.”

The note began with the former American secretary of state George C Marshall delivering a commencement speech in 1947 when he proposed what became the Marshall Plan, a reconstruction of war-ravaged Western Europe which ultimately ushered in unprecedented prosperity to the region.

The Gateses added that the current generation is uniquely positioned to understand the links between people irrespective of national boundaries and that their actions have global repercussions.

“The inextricable ties between the people of the world are something that your generation understands better than perhaps any that has come before it. Many of you have been logging onto the Internet since you could read. You’ve grown up with access to pop culture, news and perspectives from societies thousands of miles from your home. And the major challenges looming over your future—disease outbreaks, climate change, gender inequality, poverty—are also being confronted by your peers in every part of the globe.

“So, what does all of this mean for the next chapter of your lives? As a member of our global community, your actions can have a global impact. Whatever your professional goals, wherever you live, whoever you are, there are ways, big and small, that you can participate in making the world better for everyone.”

The note added that the new phase of life for the 2020 graduating class begins at a daunting time. However, the class has a role to play in changing things for the better.

“It’s true that you are entering this new phase of your life at a daunting time. For many of you, the path you’d envisioned after graduation may suddenly be much steeper. With so many things to worry about—from your health to your family to what the job market means for your ability to pay off your loans—it is understandable that you may need to put on hold the bigger questions about your role in improving the world.

“But there is no question that you have a role to play, whether that’s now or in the future. You inherit a world that has already proven that progress is possible— a world that has rebuilt after war, vanquished smallpox, fed a growing population, and enabled more than a billion people to climb out of extreme poverty.”

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