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corybooker

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) is a former mayor of Newark, N.J. and an outspoken critic of President Trump.

Credit: Jamelle Bouie

With the selection of Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) this year, Penn has continued a trend of choosing politically outspoken speakers to deliver the commencement address. 

Three U.S. presidents and two first ladies have addressed Penn graduates over the last century. Other notable picks include actor Denzel Washington, who spoke at Penn in 2011, and Bill Cosby, who spoke at Penn in 1997, almost two decades before nearly 60 accusations of sexual assault against the entertainer became widely publicized. 

See all of the rest of Penn's notable commencement selections here: