College Announces Graduation Speakers
The College at Penn has selected author Lorene Cary and senior Marian Braccia to speak at its graduation ceremony.
Cary, the author of three books, writes about race, women, education, and growing up. Her historical novel, The Price of a Child, was the 2003 selection for One Book, One Philadelphia, a citywide reading campaign, and she was recently named the winner of this year’s Philadelphia Award, given annually to a Philadelphia resident who has done the most to "advance the best and largest interest" of the community.
Cary also has written the novels Pride and Black Ice. She has held positions at Time and TV Guide, and her work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, Newsweek, and Essence. She is a senior lecturer in the Creative Writing Program and received the Provost’s Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1998. She is also the founder of Art Sanctuary in North Philadelphia, a non-profit lecture and performance series that brings prominent minority writers, authors, musicians, and poets to Philadelphia. Cary holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Penn. As a student, she was a staff member of The Daily Pennsylvanian and received a Thouron Fellowship for graduate study at Sussex University. She has been recognized by Women's Way, the Advocate Community Development Corporation, the Philadelphia Historical Society, the American Red Cross, and the Philadelphia Congress of the National Congress of Black Women. In 1995, she received a Pew Fellowship in the Arts. She serves on the board of the Union Benevolent Association and the usage panel for The American Heritage Dictionary. In addition, she is a member of PEN and the Author's Guild.
Braccia, graduating summa cum laude, majored in urban studies with related coursework in sociology and Hispanic studies. She was on the Dean’s List for four years and was included on the National Dean’s List for 2000-2001. She has been a member of the Dean's Advisory Board and served as academic chair of the Spanish Undergraduate Advisory Board. She also has served as a peer advisor through the College Office. She has worked on a research team in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and co-authored an article on cystic lesions that appeared in Diagnostic Cytopathology. She hopes to practice criminal law and has accepted the Law Faculty Scholarship from Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law. A Philadelphia native, she graduated valedictorian from St. Basil Academy in 2000.
The ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 18, at 7 p.m. at Franklin Field.