This article will be updated.
Kumail Nanjiani was announced as the keynote speaker of the May 23 Convocation Ceremony at a speaker reveal event held on Ho Plaza on Tuesday.
The Karachi, Pakistan native was selected by the student-run 2024 Convocation Committee. Nanjiani is an Oscar and Emmy-nominated writer and critically acclaimed actor and comedian.
He is known for playing Dinesh in Silicon Valley and for co-writing and starring in The Big Sick.
Asha Prabhat ’24, Senior Class Convocation Chair, explained that the Convocation Committee selected the speaker based on the values they wanted their speaker to reflect.
“At the beginning of the year, me and my committee came up with a list of values and priorities that we are looking for in a speaker. Some of those values were wholesome, dynamic, funny, trailblazer — really kind of holistic values of a person,” Prabhat said. “We’re not just getting a speaker, we’re taking in what kind of work they do on the side and what kind of work they have been a part of, not just in the industry but outside of it.”
Senior Convocation will take place on Thursday, May 23 at 1 p.m. in Barton Hall for undergraduate graduates part of the Class of 2024. Graduating graduate and professional students, as well as current Cornell community members, will be invited as space allows.