Dartmouth College graduates and guests will get quite the treat at the college’s graduation on June 9th. Some colleges get more notable speakers than others, but Dartmouth is bringing their graduation speakers to another level. On March 28th, the president of the college announced that they would have a very special guest at their graduation.
Some people find graduation ceremonies dull and long despite it being an exciting milestone in a student’s academic career. With this graduation, it will likely not feel dull or long. One of the greatest tennis stars the sport has ever seen will address the Dartmouth class of 2024, Roger Federer.
Tennis Legend Is Also A Major Philanthropist
20-time Grand Slam-winning player Roger Federer has accepted the invitation to speak at the Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, in early June. In addition to holding the most consecutive weeks at the number one ranking, 237, from 2004 to 2008, Roger Federer is a prominent philanthropist.
The tennis star, who holds dual citizenship in Switzerland and South Africa, started the Roger Federer Foundation in 2003. He has invested $96 million in early educational initiatives. This impacts more than 2.7 million children living in poverty in Switzerland and the region of southern Africa. Federer is a big advocate for the people of southern Africa because his mom is from South Africa.
In addition to supporting education in southern Africa and Switzerland, Roger Federer donated $1 million to feed families in Africa in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Roger Federer is the second richest tennis player in the world, behind former Romanian player and businessman Ion Tiriac, who has a net worth of $2.1 billion. It is admirable that Federer has given back generously to such great causes after earning a great amount of money playing tennis and receiving endorsement deals.
Funny Video Posted By Dartmouth On Social Media
Taking center court as the #Dartmouth24s Commencement speaker 🎾…https://t.co/3cGyr5UoM2 pic.twitter.com/KdHYf1wcUi
— Dartmouth 🌲 (@dartmouth) March 28, 2024
To announce their commencement speaker, Dartmouth made a very clever and entertaining video that they posted on their social media accounts.
The video starts with Dartmouth College president Sian Leah Beilock talking on a phone,
“Yep, we’ve confirmed our commencement speaker. He’s a real ace, an international superstar. It’s a great match.”
Then, president Beilock talks with the groundskeeper, Tommy, about how she’s worried that the grass won’t look as green and lush as it needs to be.
Tommy says that the grass always looks like that in March but in June it will look much better for graduation. Dedicated to his quest to make the “Big Green” look its best, there is a montage played where Tommy reads up on grass management techniques, plays around with green potions, and is seen mowing the grass multiple times.
In a message shown on the screen by President Weilock, she said that she has a contact who is a groundskeeper at Wimbledon, the Grand Slam pro tennis tournament played on all grass courts in England,
“I can assure you it is what he is used to playing on over here at our little tourney,” a voice imitating a Wimbledon groundskeeper said.
As if it wasn’t obvious enough who they were talking about in the video, Roger Federer comes on screen and addresses the Dartmouth senior class,
“I am so excited and honored to be your commencement speaker this year.”
This was such a fun and creative way to announce a commencement speaker. Big props should be given to the Dartmouth production team for making this video. This makes having tennis superstar Roger Federer speak at the college’s graduation even more exciting.
Another notable celebrity who has spoken at a Dartmouth graduation in the past is comedian Conan O’Brien. Conan spoke at the 2011 graduation.
Roger Federer’s Career Stats
The Swiss superstar won 20 Grand Slam titles, including winning Wimbledon eight times, the Australian Open six times, the US Open five times, and earning four trophies at the French Open. Federer had a pretty even reign at all four major tournaments. Rival Rafael Nadal has won 22 Grand Slam titles to Federer’s 20. 14 of Nadal’s major wins were at the French Open.
While this is very impressive that Nadal has been so dominant on the clay courts of Roland Garros, Federer has won every other major more than Nadal. The Spaniard won Wimbledon twice, the US Open four times, and the Australian Open twice. Federer is one of the best multi-surface players of all time while Rafael Nadal is the undisputed “King of Clay”.
To sum it all up, in the iconic career of Roger Federer, he won 103 total tournaments worldwide, garnered $130,594,339 in career prize money, had a record of 1,251-275, and won Sportsman of the Year 5 times (2005-2008, 2018).
In other news, a documentary about the last 12 days of Roger Federer’s tennis career will come out on Amazon Prime on June 20th.
As great as a tennis player Roger Federer was, the chance to speak at Dartmouth’s graduation showcases how incredible of a person he is off the court and what an impact he makes in southern Africa and Switzerland with his philanthropic efforts.
About The Author
Cooper Sherman is an avid NFL fan and enjoys watching and covering it the most. The NFL is king. He previously wrote and was a podcaster for the online publications Pro Sports Fanatics and Jersey Column. He is also an NBA fan and watches it occasionally, more when the NFL season ends. Tennis is also an underrated sport to watch. His teams are the Patriots and Celtics, as tough as it is to be a Patriots fan right now. He is optimistic that Jerod Mayo will turn this team in the right direction! Follow him on Instagram and Threads @coopstershermy456, and X/Twitter @justcoopthings.
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