College Announces 2009 Graduation Speaker
The University of Pennsylvania College of Arts and Sciences has selected R&B singer and songwriter John Legend, C'99, to speak at this year's graduation ceremony.
Legend is a six-time Grammy winner, starting with the Best New Artist award in 2005. The popular singer has many hit singles, including "Ordinary People," "Used to Love U" and "Another Again," and he has sold more than five million albums worldwide. His first two studio albums, Get Lifted and Once Again, are both certified platinum. His most recent album, Evolver, was released last fall. He has co-written, sung or played piano in hit recordings of other artists, including Twista, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill, Janet Jackson, Kanye West and many others. In addition to tours that take him around the world, Legend has performed across venues from "Sesame Street" to the Super Bowl, the Oscars and the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
The singer also lends his talents and celebrity in support of numerous charitable causes. He founded the Show Me Campaign, which in partnership with Millennium Promise, raises funds to support poverty-fighting sustainable development projects in the village of Mbola, Tanzania. Legend also serves as the national spokesperson for Management Leadership for Tomorrow, which works to develop the next generation of minority leaders in major corporations, non-profit organizations and entrepreneurial ventures.
Before changing his name, Legend was known by his given name, John Stephens. While a student at Penn, he was already working the music scene in Philadelphia. An English major, he sang with the University's jazz and pop a cappella group Counterparts, which he served as president and music director. In April 2008, Legend returned to Penn to help rally support for the Obama presidential campaign.
The College graduation ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 17 at 6:30 p.m. on Franklin Field.
