Actor and Comedian Ramy Youssef to Speak at Rutgers-Newark Commencement Ceremony!
Former Rutgers-Newark student Ramy Youssef, an award-winning Egyptian-American creator, actor, producer, director, and comedian, will be the keynote speaker at Rutgers University–Newark’s May 22 commencement ceremony at the Prudential Center, where he will also receive an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree.
Youssef, whose vibrant voice and unique perspective in storytelling have led him to become a leading artist of his generation, attended Rutgers-Newark from 2009 to 2011 and majored in Political Science. He left before graduating to embark on his career as an actor and comedian.
“Thirteen years ago I took a ‘break’ from Rutgers to pursue acting. The break is now over. I am honored to be giving this year’s commencement speech, and to finally receive a college degree. Thank you Rutgers for this honor, and for making my parents feel like the three semesters of tuition they paid for was actually worth it. “
Youssef is perhaps best known for Hulu’s Peabody Award-winning comedy and Emmy-nominated series, Ramy which he created, produces, directs and stars in. Inspired by his own experiences, it centers around a first-generation Egyptian-American Muslim on a spiritual journey in the politically divided New Jersey neighborhood of Rutherford, where Youssef was raised.
Youssef, who won a Golden Globe for his performance in Ramy, is also the co-creator and executive producer of Netflix’s Mo, a semi-autobiographical series inspired by Mo Amer’s life as a Palestinian refugee growing up in Houston. The series has won numerous accolades, including a Peabody Award.
Youssef’s latest project, which had its April 17 premiere on Prime Video, is the adult-animated series, #1 Happy Family USA, which was ordered for two seasons. The series follows the maniacally upbeat Husseins — the most patriotic, most peaceful, and most definitely-not-suspicious Muslim family in post-9/11 "Amreeka."
With satire and absurdity, it redefines finding humor in hardship as the Husseins navigate the early 2000s under the watchful eyes of their terrified neighbors. Youssef lends his voice to father “Hussein” and son “Rumi”, alongside Alia Shawkat, Salma Hindy, Randa Jarrar, Mandy Moore, Timothy Olyphant, Chris Redd, Akaash Singh, Whitmer Thomas, Kieran Culkin, among others.
Recently, Youssef released his second critically acclaimed HBO comedy special, Ramy Youssef: More Feelings produced by A24 and Youssef’s production company, Cairo Cowboy. The special was nominated for a 2025 Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice Award, and Writers Guild of America Award in the Best Comedy/Stand-up Special category, and recently was nominated for a Peabody Award in the Entertainment category. More Feelings is the follow-up to Ramy Youssef: Feelings, which also earned him Critics’ Choice Award and a Writers Guild Award nomination in 2020.
On the big screen, Youssef made his feature performance debut in Yorgos Lanthimos’ critically acclaimed Poor Things opposite Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe and Mark Ruffalo.The film, released in 2023, was awarded the Venice Film Festival’s highest honor, the Golden Lion, before screening at prestigious film festivals around the world including New York, Telluride, London, and others. Poor Things went on to win four Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and was named one of the top films of 2023 by the American Film Institute and the National Board of Review.
Behind the camera, Youssef was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series for his work on the highly praised episode of FX’s Emmy-winning series The Bear, titled “Honeydew,” in which pastry chef Marcus (Lionel Boyce) travels to Copenhagen on a journey of personal and professional discovery while interning at one of the world’s most renowned fine dining restaurants. Youssef received his first DGA Award nomination for this episode, continuing to garner recognition for his directorial prowess.
This spring, he also stars in Mountainhead, an HBO Original feature by Jesse Armstrong, director of Succession. Youssef stars as the co-lead alongside Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman and Cory Michael Smith. The film, which is written by Armstrong and marks his feature directorial debut, follows a group of billionaire friends who get together against the backdrop of a rolling international crisis. It is slated to premiere May 31.
Student Speaker
Applications for Undergraduate Student Commencement Speaker
The Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs is requesting applications from members of the undergraduate graduating class of 2025 for the Undergraduate Commencement Speaker at our commencement exercises on Thursday, May 22, 2025. We request applications from graduating seniors who are not only strong students, but who also have demonstrated commitment to leadership and community service. The selected student will have the honor of representing the graduating class at the Prudential Center, an arena that seats over 17,000!
Applications must include letters of recommendation from two faculty and/or staff members and a one-paragraph summary with the intended themes of the speech. The topic of the speech should focus on an event at RU-N that resonates with you, demonstrates your commitment to RU-N and be both personally meaningful and relevant to the Class of 2024. Applicants must have at least a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA or higher (Fall 2024). A selection committee will review the applications and select finalists. Finalists must be available to present a two-minute speech to the committee based on the paragraph submitted on Friday, April 11, 2025 (between 9am – 1pm).
Graduating students have the opportunity to take their graduation portraits with Island Photography. If you have applied for graduation through your academic unit, you should have received an email with your login details. Please check your spam folder if you don’t see it in your inbox.
If you haven't received the email, you can contact Island Photography directly at (516) 767-1234 or via email at custserv@islandphoto.com to schedule an appointment.
Important Note: There will be no official yearbook for the Class of 2025. This means you are welcome to take your portraits at any studio of your choice.
Accordion Content
Hello Grads! On behalf of the Barnes and Noble, here at Rutgers Newark, Congratulations!
You can Order Your Rutgers-Newark Commencement Regalia online. When ordering online, you can choose to have your regalia sent to your home or pick up it you at the Rutgers-Newark Bookstore. The deadline for ordering online are:
April 20, 2025: DEADLINE to order for ship-to-home (S&H fee applies).
March 31, 2025: DEADLINE to order for Bookstore pick up.
If you miss the online order deadline, you will need to purchase regalia from the in-stock selection at the Rutgers-Newark Bookstore. There will be limited sizes and availability, especially the closer to the ceremonies.
The bookstore is located at 42 Halsey Street, Newark, NJ 07102. If you should have any questions, please email sm409@bncollege.com.
Tina Stenman | Territory Manager |Commemorative Brands, Inc. | Balfour | PA/DE/NJ/NY| Direct: 484-868-3599
Parking and Venue Policies
Graduating students and their guests will be able to park in either Rutgers-Newark parking decks for free or at other locations for a fee.
Rutgers Parking
Free commencement parking for all graduates and their guests all day long for all ceremonies (Undergraduate, Graduate and Law) will be available in the following Rutgers-Newark parking decks:
Deck 2: 166 Washington Street, Newark, NJ
Deck 3: 180 Washington Street, Newark, NJ (next to Deck 2)
Rutgers University-Newark will be providing shuttle services to Prudential Center on Wednesday, May 22 at 5:30 a.m. Complimentary shuttles to and from the Prudential Center will run continuously from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. Departure boarding to the Prudential Center will be located at Decks 2, 3, and 4 (parking is complimentary on campus). Guests traveling from the Prudential Center back to campus should board at the corner of Lafayette and Broad Streets.
Rutgers University - Newark Commencement (SASN, SCJ, SPAA, RBS-Undergraduate, GSN)
In addition to RU-N parking, the above graduates and their families can park in or near the Prudential Center. It is highly advised that guests use public transportation on commencement day.
Rutgers Business School Graduate Convocation and Law School Commencement
In addition to RU-N parking, the above graduates and their families can park at NJPAC. We found that in previous years many students chose to park there for the convenience of their guests. Look for Parking Lots A and C, adjacent east of the building. Each of these lots contain special parking locations for handicapped patrons. Eagle West lot (120 Orange St., Newark NJ) will also be available.
For students in need of special accommodations, we ask that you reach out to the appropriate school contact and include TitleIX@newark.rutgers.edu.
Guests in need of accommodations should review Prudential Center policies and procedures. The University does not arrange for guest accommodations at the Prudential Center. https://www.prucenter.com/ada-guide
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The Paul Robeson Campus Center is an accessible facility that can accommodate guests with physical challenges. Graduate School staff will be available to provide assistance. For questions related to disability accessibility, please contact Kinna Perry at kinnap@rutgers.edu or (973) 353-5834.
Special Accommodations for Prudential Center - The Prudential Center is an accessible facility that can accommodate guests with physical challenges. Please visit https://www.prucenter.com/ada-guide for details. For questions related to disability accessibility, please contact Lorren Whitaker lw553@newark.rutgers.edu or 973-353-5375.
Guests requiring accommodations at NJPAC are encouraged to reach out to their dedicated customer service team at 1-888-MY-NJPAC for personalized assistance.
Students who require accommodations should contact: rbs_graduation_grad@business.rutgers.edu and RBS staff will accommodate their seating arrangements.
NJPAC provides accessible parking accommodations to all patrons requiring such assistance. For detailed information regarding designated parking locations tailored to specific needs, please reach out to NJPAC customer service at 1-888-MY-NJPAC. For parking information, directions, and maps, please visit https://www.njpac.org/visit/directions-and-parking/
Guests with special needs should be dropped off near the entrance of NJPAC at or soon after 3:00pm. NJPAC ushers will direct ticketed guests and their families with special needs to a designated location. Only the person(s) accompanying that guest when they enter NJPAC will be seated together.
NJPAC offers ADA seating in every tier should your guests require it. If you will have a guest with a disability that requires a special seating arrangement, contact Gina Davila at gdavila@law.rutgers.edu for more information.
NJPAC parking lots contain special parking locations for disabled patrons.
