Nearly 30 years after leaving Hunter College without a degree, the brawny actor was awarded an honorary Ph.D. as he gave the school’s commencement speech at Radio City Music Hall on Wednesday.
The “Fast & Furious” franchise star was born Mark Sinclair in California, but grew up in the Big Apple — living first in Washington Heights, and then later in Brooklyn. He attended Hunter for three years in the 1980s before leaving early to pursue his acting career in Hollywood.
“While I was in Hollywood I always had this pride of Hunter College,” the star told a crowd of about 1,800 students, pacing the stage in Hunter-purple academic regalia.
“I would tell everybody that I learned and took so much away from my experience at Hunter College: I was young, I was a bouncer, when I wasn’t bouncing I was in these classrooms with the most diverse student body on the planet.”
We're strivers," he added. "We can overcome anything. You learn that here and you take (that) into the world. And then you can look at Hollywood and change the face of Hollywood. You can literally change the face of Hollywood because of that dignity and pride and willingness to fight."
Nearly 30 years after leaving Hunter College without a degree, the brawny actor was awarded an honorary Ph.D. as he gave the school’s commencement speech at Radio City Music Hall on Wednesday.
The “Fast & Furious” franchise star was born Mark Sinclair in California, but grew up in the Big Apple — living first in Washington Heights, and then later in Brooklyn. He attended Hunter for three years in the 1980s before leaving early to pursue his acting career in Hollywood.
“While I was in Hollywood I always had this pride of Hunter College,” the star told a crowd of about 1,800 students, pacing the stage in Hunter-purple academic regalia.
“I would tell everybody that I learned and took so much away from my experience at Hunter College: I was young, I was a bouncer, when I wasn’t bouncing I was in these classrooms with the most diverse student body on the planet.”
We're strivers," he added. "We can overcome anything. You learn that here and you take (that) into the world. And then you can look at Hollywood and change the face of Hollywood. You can literally change the face of Hollywood because of that dignity and pride and willingness to fight."
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