Harvard University announced Monday that Oprah Winfrey will be the speaker for its 2013 graduation ceremony.
“Oprah’s journey from her grandmother’s Mississippi farm to becoming one of the world’s most admired women is one of the great American success stories,” Harvard President Drew Faust said in the statement posted on the Harvard Gazette website. “She has used her extraordinary influence and reach as a force for good in the world, with a constant focus on the importance of educational opportunity and the virtues of serving others.”
Winfrey will deliver the commencement address on May 30, during “Afternoon Exercises.” The address will coincide with the Harvard Alumni Association’s annual meeting, according to the statement. Last year, Harvard hosted Time magazine’s editor-at-large and CNN host Fareed Zakaria, a former alumni.
Last year, Winfrey delivered the commencement address to Spelman College’s class of 2012 in Atlanta.
Winfrey has been exercising her incredible marketing ability in the past few weeks, naming a new kitchen appliance as one of her “favorite things.” The T-fal ActiFry cooks foods at 338 degrees with a stirring paddle, and requires little to no oil for fried favorites. The media mogul posted a picture of a meal cooked with the device to Instagram two weeks ago, and decided to add it to her list of favorites.
“This machine…T-fal ActiFry has changed my life. And they’re not paying me to say it.” Winfrey posted to the social media network. “This entire plate of crispy fries, 1 tblspn oil. Delicious with my veggie burger.”
Currently retailing at Bed Bath & Beyond for $250, the device has garnered attention from ABC and NBC after Winfrey’s endorsement. A press release from T-fal noted that product inquiries had risen by 93 percent and traffic to the ActiFry website had doubled overnight.
