Cory Booker is the guest speaker for the Spring 2018 Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony, Thursday, May 17. The former mayor of Newark and current U.S. senator, will be delivering a speech to the class of 2018. More than 2,500 undergraduate students, 700 graduate students and their families are expected to be in attendance in the Newark Prudential Center, ushering in a new stage of life for the graduates.
Booker is a well-known and respected politician in New Jersey, starting at the age of 29 when he was elected to the Newark City Council. It is there that he began to make his mark as a New Jersey political leader, being elected as the 36th Mayor of Newark in 2006, serving until 2013. In 2013, he won a position at the United States Senate, which earned him the honor of being New Jersey's first African-American senator.
Cory Booker is a graduate from Northern Valley Regional High School in Old Tappan, New Jersey. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Stanford University. In both high school and college, he was a star football athlete. Booker received his law degree from Yale University. Through his time gaining his multiple degrees, he worked to provide tutorship and mentorship through programs that connected him with disadvantaged communities. It is this experience that went toward his passion for helping the lower class of New Jersey.
Newark, New Jersey is the largest city in the state, of which Cory Booker was the mayor for six years. Booker increased the economic growth of the city and established new building projects.
Always a New Jerseyan, Booker dedicates his political career to improving the everyday lives of the people of New Jersey in his current position as senator. He focuses on creating jobs and enhancing economic opportunities.
“We are thrilled that Sen. Booker will be our commencement speaker,” said Dawood Farahi, Ph.D., Kean’s president, in an interview with Kean News. “His leadership on a host of issues from the local to the national level provides a strong example to our students of what they can achieve and how they can make a difference in our world.”
The Kean University Board of Trustees is excited for the graduates to hear from Booker as they prepare to enter a new chapter as Kean Alumni. The Undergraduate Commencement will be taking place Thursday, May 17. The Class of 2018 should be aware that cap and gown pick-ups begin Monday, May 7 in the Miron Student Center, Room 228. For more information about the 2018 Commencement Ceremony, visit its page at http://www.kean.edu/commencement/.
