U.S. Sen. Cory Booker will be the keynote speaker at North Carolina Central University’s 127th Baccalaureate Ceremony, the school announced Wednesday.
The commencement exercises will be held on Saturday, May 14, in O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium on the university’s campus.
The school posted a video on YouTube in which Booker talks about his anticipation of the event and the role NCCU has played in his life.
Booker will address approximately 700 students receiving their bachelor’s degrees. According to preliminary estimates, the Class of 2016 is anticipated to be one of the largest graduating classes in the university’s history.
Booker, a native of New Jersey, won a special election to represent that state in the United States Senate on October 13, 2013. He was re-elected to a full six-year term on November 4, 2014. He currently serves on the Senate’s committees on commerce, science, and transportation; small business and entrepreneurship; environment and public works; and homeland security and government affairs.
He’s also the son of a NCCU graduate. The late father, Cary Booker, a North Carolina native, graduated in 1962 from North Carolina College at Durham, which is now North Carolina Central. In 2012, Cary Booker was inducted into the Society of Golden Eagles, a group that recognizes alumni celebrating their 50th class reunion.
NCCU will hold a separate ceremony for graduate and professional students on Friday, May 13, in McDougald-McClendon Arena.
