Randall Park has been tapped to deliver the commencement address at the University of California, Los Angeles, this year.
A UCLA alumnus, Park, 49, will be speaking at all three of the university’s commencement ceremonies for the class of 2023 on June 16 at the Pauley Pavilion, according to a university press release. He will be delivering his keynote address at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
As a proud Bruin, I am deeply honored to be delivering the keynote address for the class of 2023. College graduation is the most pivotal day of any person’s life — more significant than marriage, more special than the birth of a child, more monumental than the signing of the Declaration of Independence — so I do not take this responsibility lightly.
In my humble opinion, there is no one better to connect with these young minds than me: a 49-year-old man who is not on social media and still listens to Wham! My hope is to inspire, uplift, encourage, stimulate and other synonyms for the word “inspire.”
Park graduated from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in Asian American studies in 1997 and later received his master’s degree in 1999.
Speaking to the Daily Bruin in 2019, Park noted that after falling in love with theater through the company he co-founded, he eventually decided to pursue his acting career.
I had no experience acting before UCLA. It was through that theater company that I discovered the power of acting and writing, because at LCC we would perform our own original material. It was such a creatively fulfilling time, to be able to do that and make mistakes and also succeed and perform in packed houses of students who really enjoyed what we were doing.
Park is still involved in the UCLA community and has even volunteered at the UCLA UniCamp as an alumnus.
He also delivered the keynote address at UCLA’s English department commencement on June 18, 2017.
Miguel García-Garibay, senior dean of UCLA College and dean of physical sciences, praised Park for helping open countless doors for others through his artistry and activism.
“He is a true Bruin in every sense, and we know his wit and wisdom will inspire our graduating seniors to blaze their own trails and create a better future,” García-Garibay said in a statement.
