Khizr Khan to Send Off PVCC’s 2019 Graduates

On May 16, the 46th round of PVCC students will cross the stage at John Paul Jones Arena and receive their diplomas, but what makes their ceremony unique is the speaker who will be featured.

“We are honored to have Khizr Khan as our commencement speaker this year…we look forward to hearing about Mr. Khan’s life and experiences in his message to our graduates,” PVCC President Frank Friedman said in a press release. Khan follows in the steps of PVCC’s 2018 speaker Justin Fairfax, Virginia’s lieutenant governor, and PVCC’s 2017 speaker Rasheda Ali-Walsh, daughter of Muhammad Ali.

Khizr Khan was born in Pakistan and emigrated to America in 1980. He went on to study at Harvard Law School and the University of Missouri Law School. Khan has been both revered and despised for his activism against religious and minority based discrimination.

Khan made national headlines in 2016 when he spoke at the Democratic National Convention and criticized President Trump for his proposed Muslim ban. His son, Captain Humayun Khan, was killed in the Iraq war in 2004 and received the Gold Star and Purple Heart awards for his service. Khan said, “Hillary Clinton was right when she called my son ‘the best of America.’ If it was up to Donald Trump, he never would have been in America.”

Since 2016, Khan has continued to advocate for the equity of Muslims and other marginalized communities; he has written two books, An American Family and This is Our Constitution; and he and his wife, Ghazala, have moved to Charlottesville.

Spring 2019 PVCC graduate Tania Nuevo said, “I believe Khizr Khan’s story and life experiences resemble many of Americans who immigrated to the United States and who have been naturalized, becoming US citizens. People like him came to America looking for better opportunities for themselves and their families, and it looks like, through his personal and professional achievements, his efforts and hard work paid off. Khizr Khan is one of many inspiring people who show us that if you do put your mind, time and energy to fulfilling your goals and dreams, you will succeed.”

PVCC’s 2019 Spring Graduation will be May 16 at 6 p.m. Applications for Summer 2019 graduation are due June 15, and applications for Fall 2019 graduation are due October 15.