118th Commencement to feature Dr. Steve Perry as Keynote Speaker

Dr. Steve Perry is the founder and principal of the Capital Prep Magnet School in Hartford, Conn. The year-round grade 6-12 school boasts a near 0% dropout rate and 100% of their graduates go on to college. The school’s success has made Dr. Perry a much sought-after speaker throughout the country on education issues.

 

Born of a white teenage mother and black teenage father in the housing projects of Middletown, Conn., the 2010 DSU Commencement keynote speaker was greatly influenced by his mother’s activism in their community. He learned that life is not determined by where you begin, but by the path chosen. As he went on to college – where he earned a Bachelor of Political Science from the University of Rhode Island, a Master of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Hartford – he was sustained by the philosophy of commitment and accountability he learned from his mother.

 

After establishing a non-profit organization for low income high school students aspiring to go to college, Dr. Perry founded the Capital Preparatory Magnet School in 2005. Arguably one of the top schools in country, Capital Prep Magnet School has maintained a 100% college acceptance record in its first five years of existence. Under the leadership of Dr. Perry, the school has established an ultra-high level standard of commitment and accountability for students, teachers, administrators and parents.

 

Dr. Perry is also the author of several books, including Man Up! Nobody is Coming to Save Us (2006) and Raggedy Schools: The Untold Truth (2009). He serves as an education contributor on CNN and is a widely sought educational expert in the country.