Every year LBCC nominates an individual to give a commencement speech for graduation. In 2023, that honor belongs to Shaquille Brewster, a correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC.
During Black History Month in 2020, Brewster came to LBCC to talk about African Americans and the power of their vote.
“When it came time to think of a commencement speaker, I reflected on his talk and I just thought he would be a great individual,” Superintendent-President Mike Munoz said.
Three years ago, “It was a different audience… I talked about the role African Americans will play in the upcoming election,” Brewster said.
When asked about his speech this year, Brewster said, “It is a tremendous honor. It’ll be good to be back on campus… I want to connect my journey to the graduates.”
At the age of 20, Brewster graduated summa cum laude from Howard University with a major in broadcast journalism and a minor in political science.
At Howard, he was the executive producer for WHUT, the Howard University Television Network based in Washington D.C.
WHUT was established in 1980 and was the first public station to be operated at a historically Black college and university.
Brewester’s most notable work was covering the 2016 and 2020 elections and Derek Chauvin, in the George Floyd murder trial. He considers himself a “road warrior” for his willingness to travel extensively which has become a standard for him.
“He works really hard and will be in multiple states in a single day. Most of his life he travels non-stop,” said NBC producer Kailani Koenig. “He has seen the entire country.”
While he is coming to LBCC as a speaker, Brewster is most looking forward to interacting with students and learning from them.
LBCC’s 2023 commencement ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. on June 8 at LAC.