North Carolina Central University (NCCU) will welcome two notable alumni to address the university’s Spring 2021 and 2020 graduates. James H. Johnson Jr., Ph.D., ’75, distinguished professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Jasmine Crowe, ’05, award-winning social entrepreneur and nonprofit business leader, will address graduates for the 137th Commencement Exercises.
NCCU will award degrees to approximately 1,045 graduates of the university’s juris doctor, master’s, professional and bachelor’s programs for 2021 graduates. Members of the spring and fall classes of 2020, who did not have an in-person graduation ceremony last year due to COVID-19 restrictions, will also participate in the ceremonies. Crowe will address the NCCU undergraduates at 8 a.m., on Saturday, May 8 in O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium.
Crowe, a 2005 NCCU graduate, is the founder of Goodr, a sustainable food surplus management company based in Atlanta. Concerned about food insecurity and food waste after it hit close to home, Jasmine devised a block chain technology system that would salvage excess food from organizations such as Turner Broadcasting and Hartsfield-Jackson airport, and swiftly redirect it to those in need. Goodr’s surplus food recovery service helps businesses save money on taxes, feed more people, and reduce food waste by rerouting surplus food from cafeterias and restaurants to people in need. Goodr’s food distribution services include grocery delivery, popup grocery stores, and food delivery to support food insecure communities around the US. Goodr is built on the principle that food insecurity is not an issue of scarcity; it’s a matter of logistics. Since its 2017 launch, Jasmine has raised over $2M in investment capital for Goodr and has been featured by many esteemed media outlets like CNBC, Oprah Magazine, The New York Times, Forbes.
Crowe is a much-in-demand speaker and award-winning social entrepreneur whose popular TED Talks include “What We’re Getting Wrong in the Fight to End Hunger.”
Crowe says she hopes “to make the world a better place one cause at a time.” She also has a children’s book series titled “Giving is Good.”
Jasmine is excited to share her journey with this graduating class who have weathered not only the rigors of their college workload but also those of a Pandemic. Jasmine tells us her theme for this address is one of not being afraid to fail, but mostly, one of hope.
“I am extremely excited to return home to my Alma Mater of North Carolina Central University to deliver the 137th Commencement Address to the undergraduate class on Saturday, May 8th. Jasmine enthuses. “I would have never imagined this 15 years ago that I would one day come back to the school that groomed me to deliver my most important speech to date. This is the definition of a full circle moment and I’m so honored.”
For more information on NCCU’s 137th Commencement Exercises, please visit: nccu.edu/commencement
