Claremont McKenna College will celebrate its 76th Commencement ceremony and the Class of 2024 on May 11 with critically acclaimed author and champion of equal opportunity, Cheryl Strayed, delivering the keynote address.
Strayed wrote the No. 1 New York Times bestseller, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, which detailed her 1,100-mile hike from California to Washington and the personal struggles that compelled her to make the solo trek with no previous experience. The 2012 book, which was chosen for Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club, inspired women to embark on their own empowerment journeys and became an international bestseller. Two years later, it was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film starring Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern.
Strayed followed Wild with another New York Times bestseller, Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice from Dear Sugar, a collection of her popular, online columns. Tiny Beautiful Things was adapted as a Hulu series in 2023, starring Kathryn Hahn, and has also become a long-running stage production.
In a 2020 New York Times conversation between Strayed and author George Saunders, she spoke about the power of story and how it is an “essential part of our ability to survive and thrive.”
“When I search my soul and think, how have I reckoned with the things that were most difficult? How have I learned how to be brave and accept and move on and grieve and carry my burdens with maybe a tiny bit more grace? And the answer is, no question, it’s story. And I do think that’s the genuine power,” Strayed said.
“By sharing her powerful stories of loss, recovery, and resilience with millions of readers, Cheryl Strayed has empowered, inspired, and led so many of us,” said CMC President Hiram E. Chodosh. “Through her stories, we learn how to tell our own. How the hard trials we endure, the superpowers we discover, and the singular trails only we can forge help others find their own way.”
Strayed, who grew up in rural Minnesota, said that she always “wanted to be a great American writer. And I wanted to mark my space in a place that wasn’t traditionally. … defined for women.” Her other books include Torch, a novel loosely based on the impact of Strayed’s mother dying suddenly from cancer at age 45, and Brave Enough, which compiles more than 100 of her inspiring quotes. Strayed’s award-winning essays and short stories have also been published broadly, including in The Best American Essays, The New York Times, The Washington Post Magazine, and Vogue. Additionally, she has produced two hit podcasts, Dear Sugars, which she co-hosted with Steve Almond, and Sugar Calling.
Strayed, who lives in Portland, Ore., holds a Master of Fine Arts in fiction writing from Syracuse University and a Bachelor of Arts, with a double major in English and Women’s Studies, from the University of Minnesota.
CMC’s 2024 Commencement ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 11 at Parents Field