Academy Award-Winning Artist Common Scheduled to Give 2015 Commencement Speech for City Colleges of Chicago

Lee Edwards | As of Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Academy Award winning artist, Common, will be deliver the 2015 Commencement Speech for City Colleges of Chicago at UIC Forum, 525 S. Racine Ave., on May 2.
Academy Award winning artist, Common, will be deliver the 2015 Commencement Speech for City Colleges of Chicago at UIC Forum, 525 S. Racine Ave., on May 2.

Multiple award wining artist, Common, has agreed to deliver the commencement address at the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) graduation ceremony at the UIC Pavilion, 525 S. Racine Ave., on May 2.

“From growing up on the South Side to capturing the spirit of Selma, Common is one of Chicago’s most inspiring ambassadors,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “I could not be prouder that he will deliver the commencement address to this year’s City Colleges’ Class of 2015. After achieving so much success, Common has made it his mission to give back to the City of Chicago so there is no better person to inspire a new class of graduates to keep pursuing their passions and discovering their potential.”

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City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Cheryl Hyman.

“City Colleges’ graduation is a time to celebrate our students’ hard work and determination, while also inspiring them to continue to dream big,” said City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Cheryl Hyman. “As someone who grew up on the South Side of Chicago and has gone on to great success, Common will share a relatable and inspiring story with our graduates.”

“I am excited to speak to this group of graduates who have overcome many obstacles to achieve success,” said Common. “I want them to know that I’m an example of how hard work can lead to dreams coming true.”

Common, born Lonnie Rashid Lynn, has won numerous awards including a 2015 Golden Globe Award and the 2015 Academy Award for Best Original Song for his collaborative performance with singer John Legend on the song “Glory,” inspired by the major motion picture, “Selma”. “Selma” depicts the events during the 1960’s Civil Rights era leading up to “Bloody Sunday” and the signing of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Under the leadership of Chancellor Cheryl Hyman, CCC is in the midst of a “Reinvention”, a collaborative effort to review and revise CCC programs and practices to ensure students leave CCC college-ready, career-ready and prepared to pursue their life's goals. Since the launch of Reinvention, CCC has awarded the highest number of degrees in its history and doubled the graduation rate. 

“We encourage our students to start thinking about their goals after graduation as soon as they enroll which is why we developed clear, structured career pathways through Student GPS, which outlines the student’s semester by semester path through the institution while working toward their career and academic goals,” said Nikole Muzzy, CCC spokeswoman. “When they meet with an advisor in that first semester, the advisor will ask them what career they want to pursue and if they are interested in transferring to a bachelor’s degree program after graduation.”

Muzzy explained that each CCC institution has a Transfer Center to help students identify which four-year college or university is the right fit for them and to provide guidance on the application process. The Transfer Center also assists with career selection, resume creating, and finding an internship.

Mayor Emanuel and Chancellor Hyman launched College to Careers, an innovative program that works to partner CCC faculty and staff with businesses and four-year colleges to better prepare students for careers in fast-growing fields and help increase the competitiveness of Chicago’s companies by providing them with a highly skilled workforce. To date, more than 150 companies and organizations are partners and more than 3,000 students have found jobs or paid internships in College to Careers fields.

To learn more about City Colleges of Chicago visit http://www.ccc.edu/Pages/default.aspx.

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