After months of brainstorming and searching for the appropriate candidate, the graduation speaker for the 2016 Commencement was announced to the senior class by Headmistress Liza Lee during a Form IV meeting on March 11.
Krys Boyd, host and managing editor of the KERA-FM radio talk show “Think,” will be the guest speaker for the 102nd Commencement.
Trinity Christian University graduate and El Paso native, Boyd has been the host and managing editor of “Think” since 2006. Before her tenure, Boyd worked for Yahoo News, producing documentaries and educational television programs, including the critically-acclaimed, nationally-broadcast “JFK: Breaking the News” in 2003. Boyd also served as producer and co-host of the Emmy Award-winning public affairs program “On the Record.”
The selection process for the graduation speaker incorporated suggestions from the senior class. These suggestions were then used by Headmistress Liza Lee to get a general idea of what kind of speaker the class was looking for. One of these suggestions asked for someone who worked in the news or media business.
Aside from taking senior suggestions into consideration, however, Lee had another specific reason for choosing Boyd. Alarmed by an overwhelming presence institutionalized sexism in college campuses, corporations and political elections, Lee felt compelled to chose a strong woman speaker with somewhat of a national presence.
“I see colleges finding a terrible push back- corporations are just not hiring enough women. Even the colleges are under fire for not promoting their women professors. I’m finding that women nowadays are still finding it exceedingly difficult to crack the glass ceiling,” Lee said.
Senior Julia Pasquinelli, a fan of Boyd’s work, is excited to hear Boyd speak at graduation.
“She is just a very inspiring, strong and confident woman. I think this is a really great thing to have in a graduation speaker. She is kind of everything Hockaday graduates aspire to be,” Pasquinelli said.
Form IV Dean Rebekah Calhoun shares a similar sentiment.
“From everything I know about her she seems intelligent, well-qualified and thoughtful,” Calhoun said. “I am excited to see what she will bring to the ceremony.”
Boyd will be meeting with the seniors today at 2:40 p.m. to collect their thoughts on what she should incorporate in the graduation speech.
“I heard about Hockaday when I moved to Dallas in 1999. I know that it is a school that has some of the most academically qualified young ladies in the city and I have been consistently impressed by Hockaday women who are so engaged in their communities,” Boyd said.
And Boyd is no stranger to all-girls schools. Having attended Loretto Academy, an all girls school in El Paso, Boyd said she appreciates the environment and the values that Hockaday fosters.
“An all girls education has absolutely had a positive impact on my life. Going to school with only women, you learn about the strengths and the power of women. I never felt as if my sex would create any limitations for me in my career,” Boyd said.
– Neha Dronamraju – Staff Writer – Emily Fuller – Video Editor –
