A.P.E.X. Events Presents Donovan Livingston

Published: March 22, 2021 | Author: Southern Utah University | Read Time: 2 minutes

A.P.E.X. Events Presents Donovan LivingstonSouthern Utah University's A.P.E.X. Events is thrilled to welcome Donovan Livingston. The award-winning educator, poet, and public speaker will share his story from his book Lift Off: From the Classroom to the Stars on March 25, 2021 at 11:30 a.m. in the Great Hall of the Hunter Conference Center. 

“Donovan’s passion for education is infectious," said Dr. Lynn Vartan, director of A.P.E.X. Events at SUU. "He has a deep care for students and teachers, and as a poet, hip hop artist and scholar, his talk will sure to be a favorite.”

In 2016, his Harvard Graduate School of Education convocation address “Lift Off” went viral, reaching over thirteen million views and prompting Hillary Clinton to praise, “It’s young graduates like [Livingston] who make it clear that America’s best days are still ahead.” Since his pivotal speech, Livingston has been featured on CNN, NPR, BBC, Good Morning America, and in news outlets across Europe, Australia, India, and South Africa. His convocation address was published as a book by Spiegel & Grau in 2017.

A believer in the enormous opportunities that education provides, Livingston inspires students, educators, and communities with his conviction that every child has the right to “lift off” and achieve their dreams. Drawing on personal experiences as well as scholarship, Livingston examines the role of culture, hip hop and spoken word poetry in student experiences in higher and postsecondary education. An impassioned and dynamic speaker, he incorporates creative elements into his lectures such as spoken word poetry and audience collaboration.

Livingston has earned master’s degrees from Columbia University and Harvard University, and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Educational Leadership & Cultural Foundations. He lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with his wife Lauren and daughter Joy.

A.P.E.X. Events is SUU’s premier weekly lecture series, with speakers and presenters invited from all areas of the world. While on campus, guests are invited to interact with students and faculty in multiple ways, with opportunities to connect and network in vast areas of scholarship. All A.P.E.X. events are free and open to the public.

This semester, A.P.E.X. Event presentations will also be streamed live via Zoom. Join the event virtually at suu-edu.zoom.us/j/95861182001?pwd=U2NpZnhNR1NDMGtndWt0RVNSNEJLZz09.


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