By Jasmine Browley ·Updated May 19, 2023
The President & CEO of Essence Ventures, Caroline Wanga, left the 2023 graduating class with words to carry with them through life.
On May 13, Wanga addressed the crowd of thousands and implored them to not only go after their dreams, but to be revel in what they’d already accomplished. “
“It’s not so much about what the power of your presence after today will do for the world,” Wanga said to the onlookers. “What’s more important is how powerful your absence will be.”
She continued later in the keynote: “The world is in crisis and y’all are our fixers. One of the things that I stand for is operating in your full humanity. Specifically as Black {people.} You’ve been taught to diminish it to accommodate everybody else. You’ve been taught to make sure it’s not too hard for others. You’ve been taught to be situationally aware of three Black people that have been in the same place at the same time for too long and security is coming. You’ve been taught.”
Wanga, who for years has led and worked alongside teams of thousands, pointed out the importance of upholding community to the students.
“There’s an African proverb that says, if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. And the people that you are graduating with here, including your family members are your together.”
When the keynote was initially announced, Dillard’s president Rochelle Ford shared that Wanga’s work not only inspired her but the institution’s student body as well, and has helped to instill the confidence and fortitude they need to be the world’s future cohort of change agents.
“Wanga is an excellent voice for students to hear from as they graduate, as the next generation of leaders,” Ford shared in a news release. “While being a young mother, she graduated and then worked her way up from several entry-level positions to become one of the most influential, powerful thought leaders. With nearly 70% of our student population being Black women, I’m confident that she will share encouraging words that will inspire both men and women to be great contributors to society,” said Dillard University President Rochelle L. Ford. “Additionally, the Essence Festival of Culture
has made an indelible impact on New Orleans, economically and culturally. Her leadership has deepened this relationship between Essence and New Orleans.”
Wanga was also given an honorary doctorate degree in recognition of her storied career and litany of professional accomplishments. This marks her second honorary doctorate, with the first being degree from her alma mater Texas College.
As the President & CEO of Essence Ventures, she oversees several brands under the company’s umbrella including ESSENCE Communications Inc, Afropunk, BeautyCon, and Essence Studios, a production studio and original content hub focused on authentic Black story-telling, story-making, story-sharing and story-doing.
Wanga joined ESSENCE as its chief growth officer in 2020 after sitting as Target’s chief culture, diversity, and inclusion officer for more than 15 years.
The post President And CEO Of ESSENCE Ventures Caroline Wanga Receives Honorary Degree From Dillard University And Delivers Powerful Commencement Speech appeared first on Essence.
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