Spring Class of 2023 Special Recognition Ceremony

Commencement is meant to be a momentous and culminating occasion to celebrate those who have successfully completed their matriculation. Your accomplishment deserves to be applauded in a manner befitting its importance. Therefore, we are inviting you to a Special Recognition Ceremony for the Class of May 2023! In addition to your PVAMU family, a special celebrity guest will be in attendance to congratulate and offer you best wishes. We’re excited to have the opportunity to celebrate not just what you have already achieved, but all the great things your futures hold! I look forward to seeing you on August 11, 2023!

Pioneering media mogul, philanthropist, creative visionary, and culture-shifting producer, Shaunie Henderson is the powerful and popular founder and CEO of Amirah, Inc., the juggernaut production company behind one of the most successful and genre-defining franchises in reality show history: The Basketball Wives, celebrating its tenth season. A dauntless entertainment maverick known for her magnetic charm, vast creative orbit, and highly sought-after production talents, Shaunie is driving change and reshaping the culture and mosaic of entertainment while steering a new generation of talent toward ever-expanding spheres of generational impact.

As a Black woman standing in stark contrast to the existing television producing landscape, Shaunie is a dominate force who is navigating the rarified air of producers who have achieved a multitude of highly admirable business milestones. Her proven model of reality is diversifying and transforming the terrain of the genre by empowering people of color and women in an industry that historically has lacked diversity and kept its innerworkings and wonders concealed and out of reach. Her show The Basketball Wives one of the most watched, longstanding and highest grossing shows in reality TV history continues to usher in a legion of aspiring and seasoned creatives—ignited by her soaring wisdom and deliberate advocacy to creating a pathway for women to capture economic freedom and independence.

The Class of 2023 will be allotted five tickets each for family, friends, and other guests to attend. Tickets will be distributed in the Student Recreation Center from 3 to 6 p.m. Registered Participants should report to their college representative inside the Recreation Center to receive name-calling cards, and tickets.

Parking attendants will be on hand to guide visitors to parking spaces. Please follow instructions closely, as doing so will allow for convenient event parking and exiting. Parking for the event is free, and no prior permission or parking pass is needed to park. Drivers are expected to follow all parking regulations set forth by the parking attendants.

Since this is a recognition ceremony, alumni from the class of 2023 have the option to wear a cap and gown or business attire. The PVAMU University Bookstore will provide information about pricing and pick-up of caps and gowns, class rings, and announcements. Please visit www.bkstr.com/prairieviewamunivstore/home for additional information.

Official photography for the ceremony will be done by Balfour photography service.

There is no reserved seating. Guests are encouraged to arrive early to find parking and seating.

We welcome graduates and guests to post their photos to social media sites using the hashtag #pvamualumni.

For friends, families, and guests unable to attend the recognition ceremony in person, PVAMU will stream the event live. Links to the stream can be found on the University’s homepage as well as by visiting www.pvamu.edu/stream. Additionally, the University will stream the ceremony live from the official Facebook page.

Information about PVAMU-branded gifts and alumni merchandise can be found on the PVAMU University Bookstore’s website at www.bkstr.com/prairieviewamunivstore/home. The store will be open Friday, August 11, from 5 – 8 p.m., and Saturday, August 12, from 7 a.m. to noon.

A section will be reserved in the Panther Stadium for persons requiring special needs accommodations. Space in this area is limited, so please plan to arrive early if special assistance is needed.

For more information, please contact:
Human Resources – Office of Equal Opportunity & Diversity
LaToya Douglas, EEO Compliance Investigator, 936-261-1792
Email: EEOD@pvamu.edu