NC A&T Announces Dr. Nia Banks '95 and Queen Latifah as Spring 2026 Commencement Speakers

GREENSBORO, N.C. - North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has announced two remarkable women as its Spring 2026 Commencement keynote speakers: Dr. Nia Danielle Banks '95, a pioneering plastic surgeon, and entertainment icon Queen Latifah.

Dr. Nia Banks to Address Graduate Students

Dr. Banks, a board-certified plastic surgeon serving the Annapolis, Maryland, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. areas, will deliver the keynote address for the graduate student ceremony on Friday, May 8, at 6 p.m. in First Horizon Coliseum at the Greensboro Complex.

A proud NC A&T alumna, Banks received her B.S. in chemical engineering from the university before earning her M.D., Ph.D. and surgical training from Johns Hopkins University. She made history as the first African American woman to complete Johns Hopkins' plastic surgery training program.

Her impressive credentials include:

• Graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program
• Associated Black Charities Board Pipeline Leadership Development Program graduate
• Chair emeritus of the Student National Medical Association
• Commissioner of the Maryland Economic Development Commission
• Member of Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

Queen Latifah Headlines Undergraduate Ceremonies

The multitalented Queen Latifah will serve as keynote speaker for both undergraduate ceremonies on Saturday, May 9, in First Horizon Coliseum:

• 9:00 a.m. ceremony: College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, College of Education, College of Engineering, and John R. and Kathy R. Hairston College of Health and Human Sciences
• 2:30 p.m. ceremony: College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics, and College of Science and Technology

Latifah's groundbreaking career spans music, film, and television. She became the first hip-hop artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006 and received the National Medal of the Arts from the U.S. government in 2024.

From her breakout role in Spike Lee's "Jungle Fever" to starring in and executive producing CBS's hit series "The Equalizer" (2021-2025), Latifah has consistently broken barriers in entertainment. She will return as the voice of Ellie in "Ice Age: Boiling Point," set for theatrical release February 5, 2027.

Graduation by the Numbers

Nearly 2,000 undergraduate students and almost 350 graduate students will participate in the ceremonies, which will be livestreamed for family and friends unable to attend in person.

About NC A&T: North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is the nation's largest historically Black university and one of the top 25 "Most Innovative" universities in America according to U.S. News & World Report. The land-grant, doctoral research university is recognized nationally for its leadership in graduating African American students in engineering, agriculture, and other STEM fields.