Medal of Freedom Winner, Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, to Keynote Commencement

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Mar 23, 2010, 10:36 ET

BOSTON, March 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, Director of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, will be the keynote speaker at Bunker Hill Community College's 36th commencement exercises, on Saturday, June 5th at 11 a.m. In 2008, Dr. Carson received the nation's highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Dr. Carson, one of the world's leading neurosurgeons, is also an eminent scholar, author and philanthropist. For years he has used his excellent speaking skills to motivate people to better themselves.

Carson grew up poor in the inner city of Detroit. His early life was marked by constant struggle to overcome his background, especially in school. In his autobiographical work, "Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story," he recounts failing tests and not "making the grade." But, thanks to an encouraging mother and an iron will to succeed, he went to Yale University on a full scholarship. At Yale, he received a B.A. in Psychology, and then went on to earn his M.D. from the University of Michigan School of Medicine.

Carson is renowned for his innovative and groundbreaking neurosurgeries. He has been widely praised for his expertise in surgical treatment of all types of brain seizures. One of his most famous surgeries involved separating twins joined at their heads.

At Johns Hopkins Hospital, he holds professorships in four specialties: Neurological Surgery, Oncology, Pediatrics, and Plastic Surgery. He has received 40 honorary doctorate degrees and hundreds of other awards. He is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, and is an emeritus fellow of the Yale Corporation, the governing body of Yale.

Bunker Hill Community College is the largest community college in Massachusetts. The College enrolls more than 11,600 students on two campuses and at five satellite locations. BHCC is one of the most diverse institutions of higher education in Massachusetts. Six in ten students are people of color and more than half of BHCC's students are women. The College also enrolls more than 700 international students who come from more than 95 countries and speak 75 different languages.

SOURCE Bunker Hill Community College