Stephens College confers degrees

Lyah LeFlore, who gave the keynote address, visited campus as an alumna-in-residence in February.

As the keynote Commencement speaker, Lyah Beth LeFlore '91 encouraged Stephens graduates to embrace their fears and be confident in their skills. Predicting the class could hold a future Supreme Court judge or Academy Award winner, she emphasized that the College has prepared them well to attain their dreams.

"For you, this is the most promising time of your life," said LeFlore in her speech. "The possibilities are as open as the vast heavens."

The College conferred approximately 110 degrees at the Commencement ceremony on May 7 in the John and Mary Silverthorne Arena. Other featured graduation speakers were Catherine Withrow of LeMars, Iowa, who graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in International Studies and Spanish and minors in Philosophy/Religion and Sociology; and Elizabeth Kirby of Anchorage, Alaska, who graduated with a Master of Education in Counseling degree. Withrow will enter a master's development management and policy program associated with Georgetown University in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Kirby recently became a certified guidance counselor in New Mexico. To read transcripts of the Commencement speeches, visit www.stephens.edu/news/commencement2005.

LeFlore of Woodland Hills, Calif., recently entered the publishing world co-authoring her first book, "Cosmopolitan Girls." An African-American version of the HBO hit "Sex and the City," the 2004 novel depicts the professional and personal ups and downs of two single African-American women living in New York. Her second book, "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life," will debut in May 2006.

Earlier in the year, LeFlore visited campus for the first time since her graduation. Serving as an alumna-in-residence from Feb. 7­11, LeFlore spoke to the Stephens community, including Mass Media and English/Creative Writing classes, and held a public lecture, reading and book signing. She discussed her success in breaking into the publishing world and her experiences in the television industry. LeFlore is a former associate producer of "New York Undercover," producer of "Grown Ups," and vice president of Alan Haymon Productions, a leading African-American production company whose clients include Destiny's Child and Patti LaBelle. A native of St. Louis, LeFlore earned a B.A. in Communications Media from Stephens College.

"Stephens has such a special place in my heart," says LeFlore, who was nominated to the Stephens Board of Trustees at its May 6 meeting. "It's an amazing thing to reconnect, rekindle and recommit myself to the needs of the College."

LeFlore is helping to spearhead a Stephens College African-American Alumnae Association, scheduled to launch in 2006. To learn more, contact the Office of Alumnae Relations and Development at (573) 876-7110 or alumnae@stephens.edu.