North Carolina A&T State University is adding major star power to graduation season by naming Queen Latifah one of the featured speakers for its Spring 2026 commencement ceremonies.
The university announced on April 13 that the Grammy and Emmy-winning entertainer will deliver keynote remarks during both undergraduate ceremonies on Saturday, May 9, at First Horizon Coliseum. Alumna Dr. Nia Danielle Banks ’95, M.D., Ph.D., FACS, will address graduates during the graduate ceremony on Friday, May 8.
The first undergraduate ceremony, scheduled for 9 a.m., will celebrate students from the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, College of Education, College of Engineering, and the John R. and Kathy R. Hairston College of Health and Human Sciences. The second ceremony, set for 2:30 p.m., will honor graduates from the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics, and the College of Science and Technology.
Queen Latifah arrives with a résumé that spans music, film, and television. The New Jersey native became the first hip-hop artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006 and earned an Academy Award nomination for her role in “Chicago.”
She later collected a Golden Globe and SAG Award for “Life Support,” added an Emmy nomination, and won a Primetime Emmy as an executive producer for “Bessie.” Her recent honors include the National Medal of the Arts in 2024 and recognition at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2023.
Banks brings an equally impressive background. The North Carolina A&T graduate earned a degree in chemical engineering before completing her M.D., Ph.D., and surgical training at Johns Hopkins University. She became the first Black woman to complete its plastic surgery program and later trained in Paris through a craniofacial fellowship.
She founded the Beaux Arts Institute of Plastic Surgery in 2009 and expanded with the Art of Balance Wellness Spa in 2020.
Nearly 2,000 undergraduate students and about 350 graduate students are expected to participate, with ceremonies also available via livestream.
