Claremont McKenna College announced today that Wes Moore, a decorated Army combat veteran, Rhodes Scholar, best-selling author, and CEO of BridgeEdU, a national initiative focused on closing gaps in college completion and career opportunities, will be CMC’s 2017 Commencement speaker. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 13, at Claremont McKenna College and will mark the 70th CMC Commencement.
“This is a class filled with passionate, driven, and thoughtful people, and so we were looking for someone who would really connect and resonate,” says Cole Mora ’17, who as CMC senior class president worked with students in selecting the Commencement speaker. “Beyond his exceptional accomplishments, Mr. Moore connects purpose and meaning with how we face and overcome our challenges. I cannot thank my classmates enough for their help with this process, and we cannot wait to have him join us for Commencement.”
Moore is the author of two New York Times best-selling books, The Other Wes Moore, and The Work: My Search for a Life That Matters. He is also the host of Beyond Belief on the Oprah Winfrey Network and executive producer and host of Coming Back with Wes Moore, which focuses on veterans as they reintegrate into society. Moore is also the executive producer for the PBS documentary All the Difference, which follows two African-American teens from the South Side of Chicago on their journey to achieve their dreams of graduating from college.
Moore graduated Phi Theta Kappa from Valley Forge Military College and in 1998 received his bachelor’s degree with honors from Johns Hopkins University. He completed an MLitt from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar in 2004. Upon graduation, Moore served as a paratrooper and captain in the U.S. Army, serving in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division.
“Wes Moore’s story moves us to serve others,” observed Claremont McKenna College President Hiram Chodosh. “His journey—from Baltimore to Oxford, from Afghanistan to advocacy for vets, from his own academic achievements to building bridges of opportunity for others—cuts an exemplary, inspiring path for our outstanding graduates and our entire CMC community.”
More information about Claremont McKenna’s 2017 Commencement is available online.
The 2 p.m. ceremony will be live-streamed at cmc.edu and cmc.edu/livestream.