Oglethorpe University’s commencement ceremony honoring the Class of 2023 will be held on Saturday, May 20, at 9 a.m.
Oglethorpe will welcome commencement speaker Andrea Rivera, founder of H3 Media and chair of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, to address the graduating class. Rivera will also receive an Oglethorpe honorary degree of Doctor of Letters in recognition of her service and contributions as a community leader, entrepreneur and award-winning cross-cultural marketer.
“Andrea Rivera has an inspirational story our students will appreciate,” said Oglethorpe President Nick Ladany. “She has risen to prominence in Atlanta because of her hard work, creativity and ability to connect cross-culturally with people from a variety of backgrounds. She will help the Class of 2023 and their families mark this milestone with an inspirational and memorable address.”
President Ladany, together with alumnus Cameron Bready, chair of the Oglethorpe Board of Trustees and currently President and Chief Operating Officer of Global Payments, Inc., will preside over the commencement ceremony for more than 240 graduates. Additional speakers will include student leaders Marc Collins, senior class president, and Ashrakat Hassan, student body president. Further details about the ceremony may be found at commencement.oglethorpe.edu.
Recognized in 2021 as one of the 50 Most Influential Latinos in Georgia, Andrea Rivera is a leader in Georgia’s rapidly growing Latino community. She serves as Chair of the Board for the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a leading chamber for Hispanic businesses in the country that serves the entire state of Georgia.
Rivera owns H3 Media, an Emmy-awarded multicultural advertising agency dedicated to connecting brands to Latino consumers in the United States through culturally appropriate messaging and creative execution that builds brand loyalty among the United States’ fastest-growing minority group.
Rivera is a first-generation college graduate and business owner passionate about promoting higher education and entrepreneurship among Latinos. Her work in these areas includes serving as Executive Director of the Cruz Family Foundation Scholarship Program, on the board of Hispanic Organization Promoting Education (HOPE), and as founder and past chair of EME de Mujer, the flagship organization for Latina entrepreneurs in Georgia.
Born in Medellin, Colombia, Rivera grew up in Miami, Florida, and is a long-time Atlanta resident. She is the mother of three children and grandmother to one.
