Mindy Kaling Returns to Dartmouth for 2018 Commencement Speech
Jun 05, 2018 12:11PM ● By Linda Ditch
This year’s graduation ceremony at Dartmouth College promises to be entertaining. Actor and writer Mindy Kaling will give the commencement address to the class of 2018 on Sunday, June 10 at 9:30 am.
A member of the class of 2001, Kaling was a theater major and developed a gift for writing plays while at Dartmouth. She won the annual Eleanor Frost Playwriting contest in 1999 for a one-act play written for the annual Frost and Dodd Student Play Festival. She was also the author of “Badly Drawn Girl,” a campus-life comic strip published in The Dartmouth. Her comic acting skill was developed as a member of the Dog Day Players improv group.
Since graduation, Kaling became the first woman of color nominated for an Emmy in writing for her work on NBC’s television show The Office, on which she also played customer service rep Kelly Kapoor. She also worked as a director and producer for the show. Next came her show The Mindy Project, which won a Gracie Award and was nominated for two Television Critics Association awards and a Writers Guild Award. She is also a two-time New York Times bestselling author for her books Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) and Why Not Me?
On graduation weekend, Dartmouth will award around 1,000 bachelor’s degrees and 600 master’s and doctoral degrees. Kaling will also receive an honorary degree at the ceremony. Fellow speakers will include President Phil Hanlon giving the valedictory address and the student valedictory speaker chosen after final grades are calculated.
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