Elon University announced alumna Ginna Claire Mason ’13 as the 2024 undergraduate commencement speaker.
Mason graduated from Elon’s musical theatre program in 2013. She starred in Wicked the Musical on Broadway as Glinda and in the two Hallmark Channel movies “A Holiday Spectacular” and “A Heidelberg Holiday.”
Elon junior Derick Donato was a student in the virtual musical theatre school that Mason started in 2020 during the pandemic. He said the first thing he did when he heard the announcement was call Mason to congratulate her.
“For me, it's super special just because she's the one that told me to come to Elon,” Donato said. “She's the one that I always looked up to and was like ‘I really want to go to Elon. Ginna Claire went there and Ginna Claire's on Broadway’ and now she's coming back to do this commencement speech and she's going to be on campus and it's just so sweet and so, so special.”
Although Donato will not be a graduate at this year’s commencement, he said he can’t wait to attend anyway to hear Mason speak.
“It feels like a win for the musical theatre majors and performing arts majors to have such a special person coming back and sharing wisdom and light,” Donato said.
She is set to address the class of 2024 at both ceremonies in Schar Center on Friday, May 24. The 9 a.m. ceremony will be for students graduating from the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business and the School of Communications. The 2:30 p.m. ceremony will be for students graduating from the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education and the College of Arts and Sciences.
Elon awarded Mason a “Top 10 Under 10 Alumni” Award in 2017 for her professional achievements.
Mason has not responded to Elon News Network’s immediate request for comment.