NORTHAMPTON – Smith College announced Thursday that Oprah Winfrey will deliver the commencement address at the college’s graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 21.
The announcement came during the college’s Rally Day events, which included a visit by social activist Gloria Steinem, one of five alumnae being celebrated for their contributions to women’s leadership around the globe.
Winfrey, a cable network owner, philanthropist, producer and actress, is most well-known for her award-winning “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” which she hosted for 25 years.
She is chairman and CEO of the cable network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network; the founder of O, The Oprah Magazine; and oversees Harpo Films. In 2013, Winfrey was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
Winfrey will receive an honorary degree at commencement, along with Clare Higgins, executive director at Community Action and former mayor of Northampton; Michelle Kwan, an Olympic medalist, and world and U.S. champion figure skater; Henrietta Mann, a Native American education and tribal leader, and founding president of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal College; and Erin O’Shea, president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a Harvard University professor and a 1988 Smith College graduate.
This story will be updated.