U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth speaks at Harper College graduation

CHICAGO (CBS) -- More than 400 graduates received their diploma from Harper College in Palatine on Saturday, and a very special speaker helped send the class of 2022 off in style.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth braved the rain to serve as the keynote speaker at Harper's graduation ceremony.

Duckworth applauded the graduates for making it through their studies during a period of upheaval and uncertainty.

"I see a kind of grit, a kind of grace; not given, but earned by doing it all in just about the most unpredictable times possible," she told graduates.

It was the school's first in-person graduation to take place in three years as a result of the pandemic.