Our 2023 Commencement Speaker: Eboo Patel
Dear La Lumiere Community,
It is with great pleasure that we announce Eboo Patel as the commencement speaker for La Lumiere School’s 56th annual graduation ceremony. Eboo is an acclaimed author, educator, and interfaith leader who has dedicated his life to fostering understanding among people of different religions and cultures.
We are honored to have Eboo join us for this momentous occasion and share his wisdom and insights with our student body and La Lumiere community. We are confident that his words will inspire our graduates to make positive contributions to our society as they head out from La Lumiere into the world.
Commencement will take place on Friday, May 26 at 10:00 a.m. (cdt) in Historic Marsch Gymnasium. We invite all members of the La Lumiere community to attend and celebrate this milestone in our graduates’ lives.
Our focus on campus remains to enjoy these final weeks of the academic year as we prepare to celebrate our students' accomplishments and send forth our seniors to "live the light" in the next phase of their journey. What a gift it is to work with these wonderful young people in service of our vital mission.
Sincerely,
Dr. Andrew Hoyt
Interim Head of School
About Eboo Patel
Author, Speaker, Educator, and Interfaith Leader.
Eboo Patel is a civic leader who believes that religious diversity is an essential and inspiring dimension of American democracy. Named “one of America’s best leaders” by U.S. News and World Report, Eboo is Founder and President of Interfaith America, the leading interfaith organization in the United States. Under his leadership, Interfaith America has worked with governments, universities, private companies, and civic organizations to make faith a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division.
Eboo served on President Obama’s Inaugural Faith Council, has given hundreds of keynote addresses, and has written five books, including We Need to Build: Field Notes for Diverse Democracy. He is an Ashoka Fellow and holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship. Eboo lives in Chicago with his wife, Shehnaz, and their two sons. Read More on Eboo Patel.