ABOVE PHOTO: White House Social Secretary Deesha Dyer, left, before the 2014 National Medal of Arts awards ceremony in the East Room at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Deesha Dyer, alumna who traveled from Community College of Philadelphia to the White House, to speak May 7th at Commencement
Deesha Dyer will serve as Community College of Philadelphia’s 2016 Commencement Speaker.
Dyer was unable to join her fellow graduates at Community College of Philadelphia’s 2012 Commencement. She had good reason, however, she was working at the White House, and traveling with President Barack Obama. Deesha finished her degree while still in Washington, DC, completing her final classes online. Four years later, as the White House Social Secretary, she will return to Philadelphia—to pick up her associate’s degree in front of her family and friends and serve as the speaker at Community College of Philadelphia’s 50th Commencement.
Dyer returns to an institution that has supported the President’s College Promise campaign by developing the 50th Anniversary Scholars Program, which offers tuition at no-cost for low-income, qualified students graduating from Philadelphia high schools.
The commencement will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 7, 2016, at The Liacouras Center, located at 1776 North Broad St.
“I’m very honored to have the chance to come back home and speak at my alma mater. Without Community College of Philadelphia, I would have never made it to the White House. I hope my journey from Community College of Philadelphia to the White House will inspire the graduates to continue to pursue their dreams and use their degrees to better their communities,” said Dyer.
About Deesha Dyer
Dyer was raised in both Philadelphia and Hershey, where she attended the Milton Hershey School. She started at the White House in 2009, at the age of 31, after applying for an internship in the Office of Scheduling and Advance. She was hired full-time in 2010 as the Associate Director for Scheduling Correspondence, and moved on to become the Deputy Director and Hotel Program Director in 2011. In that role, Dyer traveled with the President and First Lady working on press, lodging, and site logistics. She was promoted to Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary in 2013. Dyer is currently Special Assistant to the President and White House Social Secretary.
As many Community College of Philadelphia graduates do, Dyer has also maintained a long-standing commitment to community advocacy in several capacities, including her role working with young adults at the Youth Health Empowerment Project; as creator of a hip-hop AIDS program based in Philadelphia; as a CARE advocacy volunteer and as a board member at Action AIDS. She currently volunteers with the homeless community in Alexandria, VA, and mentors young girls for a global empowerment program in Philadelphia. She also serves as a mentor in the First Lady’s mentee program.
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