GAMBIER — Jacqueline Woodson, one of the nation’s most acclaimed authors writing for children, adolescents and adults, will be the featured speaker at Kenyon College’s 197th Commencement on May 17.

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 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 announced Woodson’s selection as speaker 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,” he said.

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,” she said.

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, 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 the 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 degree 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.


About Kenyon College: Founded in 1824, Kenyon College is the oldest private college in Ohio and the first institution in the U.S. to implement the model of faculty members serving as academic advisors. With a curriculum rooted in the liberal arts, Kenyon students and faculty aspire to a nuanced understanding of the world and all who inhabit it. Kenyon is a top producer of Fulbright Fellows and ranks second among Division III institutions for fostering NCAA Postgraduate Scholars. Home to the Kenyon Review, one of the nation’s most esteemed literary magazines, Kenyon celebrates a rich literary tradition that promotes writing across academic disciplines.