Actress and disability rights advocate Marissa Bode, along with former U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, will serve as speakers for the Class of 2025 commencement ceremonies on May 22, 2025.
Bode will address the undergraduate ceremony at 10:15 a.m., and Cardona will speak at the graduate ceremony at 4:30 p.m. — both taking place at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Conn.
Bode made her feature film debut as Nessarose in Universal’s Wicked duology, directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Bowen Yang, Jeff Goldblum, and Michelle Yeoh. Bode is the first wheelchair user to portray Nessarose and considers the role a milestone in her mission to champion disability representation in Hollywood.
A lifelong performer, Bode has been acting since age eight and trained at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. She is also an ambassador for Saving Our Daughters, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering young women from diverse backgrounds.
Throughout his 27-year career in education, Secretary Cardona has focused on improving educational access and equity, from his classroom of students as a fourth-grade teacher to the nation’s 65 million students.
Prior to his appointment as U. S. Secretary of Education by former President Joe Biden, Cardona served as the commissioner of education in Connecticut, district leader in Connecticut, a university instructor, national award-winning school principal, and classroom teacher.
Cardona led the successful reopening of America’s schools after a pandemic, oversaw the efficient distribution of $190 billion to accelerate academic recovery and mental health support, and led unprecedented federal efforts to transform the country’s student loan system.
Watch an interview with Marissa Bode, “Actress Marissa Bode of ‘Wicked’ talks about breaking barriers,” CBS News Los Angeles, Dec. 11, 2024
For more information on SCSU’s commencement, including the full schedule of events, visit www.SouthernCT.edu/commencement.
