Parsons student Maurice Dusault will be the student speaker for The New School’s 81st annual commencement ceremony. He will speak alongside fashion designer Anna Sui, explorer Barbara Hillary, and activist Ai-jen Poo, all of whom will receive honorary degrees.
Dusault is a senior in the BBA Strategic Design and Management program. For his senior capstone project he is examining the ways that art and design can address the issue of rising sea levels in New York City. His four years at The New School has also included being a research assistant in the School of Design Strategies and studying abroad at Parsons Paris.
The New School is ranked #2 among international students wanting to study in the U.S.; Dussault is among those students. Originally from the Netherlands, Dussault has lived in France, South Korea, Italy, Switzerland, and China. He also completed high school in China, and studied Chinese language and literature at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Dusault was selected through an audition process that had students present short speeches to a panel of New School faculty and USS representatives. Seventeen other students applied to be the commencement speaker. Dusault was chosen after an audition and follow-up interview. This was the first year the university selected a speaker through the audition process, having previously used a written application.
This year’s ceremony will take place at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Friday, May 19. If you won’t be able to see Dusault’s speech in person, the ceremony will be livestreamed by The New School.
Taylor is a journalism + design junior from Florida.
