Donovan Mitchell To Serve As University Of Utah Commencement Speaker

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Donovan Mitchell is adding a new title to his resume — commencement speaker. The Utah Jazz guard will offer the commencement speech for the University of Utah Class of 2021 the school’s president Ruth Watkins announced.

“Donovan Mitchell is a favorite of basketball fans and our community because of his commitment to excellence, education and social justice,” Watkins said on the school’s website. “He shows by example what one person can do to influence the lives of countless others and how to step forward to advocate for change with grace and goodwill.”

Mitchell was drafted by the Jazz in 2017 and since become a perennial All-Star, an Olympic hopeful, and a champion for community engagement. The campus-wide commencement will take place virtually on Thursday, May 6, 2021.

I am delighted to announce that Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell will be our 2021 commencement speaker. His commitment to advancing education and social justice is exemplary and he is an inspiring role model for our students. Learn more: https://t.co/jondsIvm3a pic.twitter.com/HEu0v9MZfD

— Ruth V. Watkins (@RuthVWatkins) March 30, 2021

In January,  Mitchell, with his mother Nicole and sister Jordan pledged $12 million to the Greenwich Country Day School providing scholarships, aid for teachers, and funding for a new athletics center for the school.

Mitchell’s mother is a career educator who engrained the value of education into the Jazz star.

“I know how lucky I have been to have the foundation of my education happen here at Country Day,” Mitchell said. “This school has shaped who I am in so many ways, and I feel blessed to be able to give back and make the Country Day experience available for more kids especially those from inner-city neighborhoods or with backgrounds like mine.

.@utahjazz star Donovan Mitchell, along with his mother Nicole and sister Jordan, have pledged $12 million to Greenwich Country Day School.

Mitchell attended the school from 3rd to 9th grade and his mother taught there for 12 years.@kslsports #TakeNotehttps://t.co/onUMips6rW

— KSL 5 TV (@KSL5TV) December 4, 2020

Though Mitchell attended Louisville for only two years before declaring for the NBA draft, he began taking summer courses at the school to pursue his degree in 2019.

Graduates of the University of Utah Class of 2020 who did not have their convocations last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic are invited to attend and watch Mitchell offer the commencement speech.