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Jumping to their feet for a standing ovation, the audience celebrated Kevine Dupree as he concluded an eloquent and moving speech accepting the 2026 Graduate Award. Now 22 and a college graduate working in the culinary arts, Kevine spoke from the heart about “growing up as a gay, Black man” and the personal journey that “taught me the power of staying true to who I am.”
Read Kevine’s speech.
This 2017 St. James graduate earned a diploma from Mercy Career and Technical High School and a BA in Psychology from Lincoln University. He works for the Culinary Careers Program (C•CAP) in Philadelphia.
“To be recognized in this moment is not just about achievement, it’s about the journey, the lessons, the resilience, and the truth I’ve carried with me every step of the way,” Kevine told the audience. “The version of me standing here today was never guaranteed. It took time. It took growth. It took unlearning fear and learning courage. It took finding the strength within myself to say, ‘I am deserving. I am worthy. I belong here just as much
as anyone else.’”
Our Graduate Support team has walked beside Kevine throughout his journey and continues to do so, living into our commitment to every St. James graduate’s growth, possibility, and purpose. The team connects graduates with the guidance, relationships, and opportunities they need to thrive and pursue their goals.
In presenting the award to Kevine, Assistant Head of School for Graduate Support Sonya Kedarnath shared, “Kevine embodies perseverance and purpose. He brings insight, curiosity, and warmth into every space. Kevine is a living example of what it means to share your spark with the world.”
Joining Sonya at the podium, St. James’ Head Chef Deborah Anthony recalled Kevine showing curiosity in the kitchen from the moment he arrived in 5th grade. “He always seemed genuinely interested in what I was doing,” she said. “His passion for cooking was so deep that he would cook for his family at home, and his father was so proud of him.”
In sharing his experience of being labeled “as different, as an outcast,” Kevine was intentional about encouraging others who have felt they “didn’t fit into the mold.”
He directed his closing advice to students:
“Be bold. Be innovative. Be inspiring. Take up space. Ask questions. Challenge norms. And above all else, be yourself unapologetically, fully, and without compromise. Because the world doesn’t need more copies. It needs truth. It needs you.”
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