Jacqueline Woodson - Photo Credit John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Jacqueline Woodson, one of the nation’s most acclaimed authors writing for children, adolescents and adults, will be the featured speaker at the College’s 197th Commencement on May 17, 2025.
Woodson has more than two dozen award-winning books to her credit, including multiple Newbery Honor-winning titles and her memoir-in-verse “Brown Girl Dreaming,” which won the National Book Award in 2014. Known for her ability to create rich and emotional stories using compelling imagery and lyrical language, her work explores the complex intersections of race, class, gender, family and American history.
Senior Class President Will Bryant ’25 announced Woodson’s selection to the Class of 2025 on Feb. 7 during Fandango, an annual celebration held 100 days prior to graduation.
“To me, Jacqueline Woodson is someone we are incredibly lucky to have speak at our Commencement. I admire her ability to craft stories that people see themselves as a part of,” Bryant said. “I have no doubt that her speech will be an honest perspective on our time ahead and inspire the Class of 2025 to prepare for our newest adventure, however that may look.”
President Julie Kornfeld said it will be a privilege to host Woodson on campus, which has been home to a long line of prominent writers — students, faculty and distinguished guests — over the years.
“Jacqueline Woodson has transformed children’s and young adult literature. The diversity of her characters and the beauty of her language are breathtaking, and her ability to show slices of the real world — and everyone in it — is more valuable than ever,” Kornfeld said. “As an institution that believes strongly in the power of connection through the written word — no matter the area of study — we are delighted for her to share her wisdom with the Class of 2025.”
The MacArthur Foundation, which honored Woodson as one of its “genius grant” fellows in 2020, described her as “a writer redefining children’s and young adult literature in works that reflect the complexity and diversity of the world we live in while stretching young readers’ intellectual abilities and capacity for empathy.”
A resident of Brooklyn, Woodson was born in Columbus, Ohio, and has served as the Young People’s Poet Laureate, received the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and was appointed the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress. In 2020, she was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the most prestigious international award recognizing authors and illustrators of children’s literature. She also is the founder of Baldwin for the Arts, an artist residency program providing a safe and nurturing space for Artists of the Global Majority.
The day before Commencement, Vice President for Student Affairs Celestino Limas, who also teaches American Sign Language, will give this year’s Baccalaureate address.
Selected by the Class of 2025, Limas joined Kenyon in 2021 to lead its division of student affairs and shepherd the student experience on campus. He has a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Iowa, a Master of Arts in special education from the University of Nebraska and a Doctor of Philosophy in educational leadership from the University of Oregon.
Click to download images of Jacqueline Woodson and Kenyon College.
