Emory University selected actor Karan Brar as the keynote speaker for this year’s Class Day Crossover. The crossover is an annual event honoring students graduating and receiving degrees from the Emory College of Arts and Sciences, Goizueta Business School, the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing and the Emory School of Medicine’s Medical Imaging Program. The celebration will be on May 8 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
The event will begin with a reception, including music and food in the Emory Student Center (ESC), followed by the Class Day Program in the ESC multipurpose room. The program will include a senior awards ceremony, a final Coke toast for graduates and Brar’s speech. The night will conclude with a candlelight procession on McDonough Field.
Brar is best known for starring in Disney Channel shows, including “Jessie” and “Bunk’d..” His filmography includes appearances in “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” (2010), "Pacific Rim Uprising" (2018) and “Hubie Halloween” (2020). In 2012, Brar won the Best Performance in a TV Series by a Supporting Young Artist award at the Young Artist Awards.
In addition to his acting, Brar is a mental health advocate and sits on The Cameron Boyce Foundation’s advisory board named after his “Jessie” co-star Cameron Boyce, who passed away in 2020. In 2023, Brar wrote an essay for Teen Vogue about his struggles with mental health and destigmatizing mental illness.
Guyberson Pierre (25C), a student speaker selection committee member for Class Day Crossover, said he is excited for Brar to speak to the class because he represents the senior class’s values of “authenticity, resilience and purpose.”
“His message will resonate because it speaks to finding strength amidst uncertainty and defining success on our own terms,” Pierre said.
The University did not hold a class Class Day Crossover last year due to concerns over campus safety and security.
Jacob Muscolino (he/him) (28C) is a News Editor at The Emory Wheel. He is from Long Island and plans to major in History and Psychology. Outside of the Wheel, he is involved in Emory Reads and Emory Economics Review. You can often find Jacob watching the newest blockbuster for his Letterboxd, dissecting The New York Times and traveling to the next destination on his bucket list.
