ITHACA, N.Y.—Following in the footsteps of President Joe Biden, poet Mya Angelou and 2022’s speaker actor Constance Wu, actor and comedian Ken Jeong will be Cornell University’s Senior Convocation speaker, the school announced Wednesday. The event takes place May 25 at 1 p.m. in Barton Hall.
In the school’s announcement, Cornell senior Yasmin Ballew said Jeong was an early target for the 2023 Convocation Committee, which she led. Convocation is a student-run event celebrating the accomplishments of the graduating class.
“Ken Jeong was a highly coveted speaker and, from the beginning, our committee was thrilled about the prospect of having him join the Class of ’23,” Ballew said. “Of the many names we discussed, he stood out for his passion, commitment to advocacy and, of course, his humor.”
The event is aimed toward students who graduated in December 2022 or will be in May 2023, though grad and professional students, and other Cornell community members, will be invited if space allows.
Jeong has achieved widespread success over the last 15 years, with featured roles in “Knocked Up,” “The Hangover,” “Step Brothers,” and “Pineapple Express.” He is now a judge on the Fox TV show “The Masked Singer.” The school also emphasized Jeong’s activism around cancer research, anti-racism and hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Before making the transition to entertainment, Jeong was a licensed physician.