Hunter College announced today that best-selling author and supermodel Emily Ratajkowski will deliver the commencement address to its winter graduates on January 19, at Hunter North Assembly Hall.
A multifaceted artist, Ratajkowski is an entrepreneur, writer, actor, model, activist, and podcast host, having recently launched “High Low with EmRata,” which explores topics including politics, philosophy, feminism, pop culture, relationships, and fashion.
She has appeared in films and major fashion magazines and is the face of several fashion and beauty lines. Her 2021 essay collection, “My Body,” — a New York Times Best Seller — explores feminism, sexuality, power, and the exploitation of women in the fashion and film industries.
“We are thrilled that Emily Ratajkowski will share her insights with our graduates and their families and friends,” said Hunter College President Jennifer J. Raab. “Her ability to pivot from television to modeling to movies to best-selling author is a lesson all our graduates can learn from. She’s a Renaissance woman for our digital age.”
Also addressing the graduates will be New York City Department of Small Business Services Commissioner and CUNY Board of Trustees member Kevin Kim.
On hand for the commencement will be Professor Asher Grodman — otherwise known as Trevor on the hit television series “Ghosts” — who has been training the actors of tomorrow at Hunter.
Hunter alum and Brooklyn Museum of Art Director Anne Pasternak will be in attendance to see her daughter, Paris Starn — a fashion designer and social media influencer whose foodie Instagram posts are followed by thousands — receive her masters in Art History.
About 2,000 students will receive their undergraduate, graduate, or post-doctoral degrees. The class includes six valedictorians with perfect 4.0 and all credits earned at Hunter’s schools of Arts and Sciences, Nursing, Social Work, and Education. Hunter students come from more than 100 countries and speak 150 languages.
