Duke University hosts commencement for Class of 2021 graduates with John Legend
Nearly 2,000 Duke University undergraduates in the Class of 2021 are being celebrated at an outdoor commencement ceremony on Brooks Field in Wallace Wade Stadium Sunday. It’s the first event for the more than 5,700 students graduating from Duke this spring.
The ceremony is a welcome bit of normalcy for graduates, as last year’s in-person graduation was canceled because of COVID-19. The university still plans to celebrate 2020 graduates in person and on campus in the coming months.
The procession begins at 9 a.m. and Duke is live-streaming the event on it’s commencement page.
At the ceremony, graduates and their guests will hear a commencement speech from award-winning musician and actor John Legend, who also received an honorary degree.
Duke President Vincent E. Price also presented honorary degrees four other individuals.
They are:
▪ Civil rights leader and activist Barbara Arnwine.
▪ Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing Professor Jacquelyn Campbell.
▪ Harvard University Professor of History and of African and African American Studies Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham.
▪ Former Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency William K. Reilly.
Duke senior and Robertson Scholar Meghana Sai Iragavarapu will also give a speech to her fellow classmates.
Meredith College is also hosting a second commencement ceremony for Class of 2020 graduates on Sunday in the courtyard behind Johnson Hall on campus. Meredith is hosting several other graduation ceremonies in the coming weeks.
Here’s a list with more details on North Carolina universities’ 2021 spring graduation plans.
This story was originally published May 2, 2021 at 7:30 AM.
