*Janelle Monae will impart words of wisdom to graduates of Dillard University next month.
The school in New Orleans announced Tuesday (April 11) that it has chosen the singing/acting dynamo as the commencement speaker for its May 13 graduation ceremony.
Dillard President Walter Kimbrough said he pursued Monae for more than a year, considering her “the ideal person to deliver a timely message to our graduates,” he stated.
Monae had a breakout 2016, starring in the Academy Award Best Picture “Moonlight” as well as critical fave “Hidden Figures,” about three African-American, female NASA mathematicians who helped send John Glenn to the moon.
Off stage, Monae has become an advocate for getting girls involved in science, technology, engineering and math. She also launched Fem the Future last fall to empower women in media and the arts.
The university expects to award more than 160 bachelor’s degrees, according to a statement.
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