Social Activist Alan Khazei at New Hampton School Commencement Friday, May 24 (256)

NEW HAMPTON — New Hampton School will hold its 192nd commencement on Friday morning on the Meservey Hall Lawn.

The School will graduate 99 students, hailing from 14 different states and 11 countries. The graduates will be addressed by 2013 Commencement speaker Alan Khazei during the ceremony, which begins at 9:45 a.m. Khazei, who is the co-founder of City Year and founder of Be the Change, Inc., is the cousin of a member of the Class of 2013.

"We are thrilled to have Mr. Khazei as our commencement speaker," Head of School Andrew Menke said. "As someone who has dedicated his life to visionary non-profits and public service, he embodies our mission to create lifelong learners who serve as active global citizens. I think he has the ability to connect with young people as they head off into their next educational opportunity and provide insight into how they can contribute to what is a rapidly changing world. An added bonus to welcoming him to campus is that he has a personal connection with his cousin Hayden, a three-year student and a member of the Class of 2013."

Khazei has pioneered ways to empower citizens to make a difference. In 1987, as a young graduate from Harvard Law School, he co-founded a nonprofit organization called City Year with his friend, Michael Brown. City Year unites young adults ages 17-24 from all backgrounds for an intensive year of full-time community service mentoring, tutoring, and educating children. It served as the model and inspiration for President Clinton's AmeriCorps program and now operates in 20 U.S. cities and Johannesburg and London.