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New York Governor and Syracuse University alumna Kathy Hochul will speak at the Class of 2020 Commencement ceremony on Sunday.

Hochul, who graduated from SU in 1980, will address the class of 2020 one year and four months after the commencement’s original date. The original in-person ceremony was postponed due to the pandemic.

Hochul will address both the SU and SUNY-ESF 2020 classes, according to an SU News release.

“The governor is a member of an esteemed group of Orange alumni who have answered the call of public service. For these reasons and many others, Gov. Hochul is a fitting choice to address the Class of 2020,” Chancellor Kent Syverud said in the release. 

Hochul was sworn into office on Aug. 24, becoming New York state’s first female governor.

Before taking over as governor following former governor Andrew Cuomo’s resignation, Hochul served as the state’s lieutenant governor since 2015. 

Hochul’s political career stretches back to 1994 when she served on the Hamburg Town Board until 2007. She also worked as a deputy county clerk from 2003-07 and then as a clerk of Erie County from 2007-11. From 2011-13, Hochul served New York’s 26th Congressional District as a representative in the U.S. Congress.

“Syracuse University provided me with an opportunity to spark my activism, while offering a caring, nurturing and diverse community,” Hochul said in the release. “It’s now time to go out into the world and not only do well, but do good — and Syracuse has prepared you well for that.”

Published on September 17, 2021 at 11:00 pm

Contact Kyle: kschouin@syr.edu | @Kyle_Chouinard