For undergraduate and graduate commencement, each year two unique individuals have the opportunity to speak to the graduates of Kean University. There have been a lot of famous people who have passed through Kean University over the years. Whether they were graduates or individuals who spoke at graduations, they are very notable and give students inspiration. A commencement speaker motivates students and speaks to them about their experience as well as passing on their wisdom.
Maya Angelou spoke to the graduate class of 2009. Maya Angelou is an American author and poet. She has published six autobiographies, five books of essays, numerous books of poetry, and is credited with a long list of plays, movies, and television shows. Angelou is one of the most successful writers of her generation, with dozens of awards and over thirty honorary doctoral degrees. Angelou is best known for her series of autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. Angelou has stayed in close contact and has visited Kean University many times since the graduate commencement.
Francis "Hill" Harper a film, television stage actor and author spoke at the 2010 undergraduate commencement ceremony. Harper graduated magna cum laude from Brown University and also graduated with a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School, and a Master of Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Anna QuindlenQuindlen
John Legend, a recording artist, actor, musician and philanthropist, has received nine Grammy awards and was named one of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People". Legend was the undergraduate commencement speaker in 2011. Apart from his entertainment career, Legend has also been involved in many charitable events. He created the Show Me Campaign, a non-profit organization that fights poverty. Legend strongly believes that equal access to quality education is this generation's civil rights issue, so the organization fights for education reform in the United States. Outside of the United States, the Show Me Campaign, in collaboration with Millennium Promise, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending hunger, are working to provide clean water, health care, education and other basic tools that will break the cycle of poverty in Africa. John Legend has also stayed in close contact with Kean University and has visited after the commencement.
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America FerreraFerreraDogtown
In 2007, Time Magazine named FerreraImagen
In 2008, Ferrera
Wes Moore will be the 2012 graduate commencement speaker. He is a youth advocate, U.S. Army combat veteran, promising business leader and author of The Other Wes Moore: One Name and Two Fates - A Story of Tragedy and Hope.Moore graduated Phi Theta Kappa as a commissioned officer from Valley Forge Military College in 1998 and Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in international relations. He also earned an M.Litt. in International Relations as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University in 2004.In 2009, Moore was selected as an Asia Society Fellow. He was also named one of Ebony magazine's "Top 30 Leaders Under 30" in 2007 and Crain's New York Business' "40 Under 40 Rising Stars" in 2009. Moore remains passionate about supporting U.S. veterans and examining the roles that education, mentoring and public service play in the lives of American youth.
