Ken Jeong has excelled at many things—as a medical doctor, actor, producer, writer, AAPI community advocate and, as substantiated only by him, Instagram model.
He is not a bad motivational speaker, either. In his keynote address at Cal State LA Commencement, Jeong provided encouragement to the Class of 2025 by sharing the key to his success.
“I am a student of the game, I am a student for life,” he said. “Never stop learning, never stop growing. It’s not about being rich and famous. It’s about staying hungry and humble. The goal is not to be the best. The goal is to be your best. And how can you be at your best? Persistence.”
Jeong received an honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts during the Commencement ceremony shared by the Rongxiang Xu College of Health and Human Services and the College of Natural and Social Sciences on Tuesday, May 20, at the historic Shrine Auditorium.
More than 5,500 students were expected to participate in Cal State LA’s nine college-based Commencement ceremonies from Monday, May 19, to Wednesday, May 21. Graduating students were automatically assigned to a ceremony based on their college, department, and major.
Jeong, now known for his comedic roles in films and TV, started off as a medical doctor. He earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University and his medical degree from the University of North Carolina, where he failed his first and second medical board exams.
He said he questioned whether he had the ability to be a doctor, but he decided to tough it out. He retook and passed both board exams after a year of “studying, studying, studying, and studying” and was able to graduate medical school. “Not because I was smart or brilliant, but because I was persistent,” he said.
Jeong urged the graduating students to follow his script: “The world is tough, and as you move forward, there are a lot of obstacles that can get in your way. Don’t let it, you’ve already made it this far. Don’t be afraid to fail. Never give up, always persist. You got this.”
Jeong completed his internal medicine residency at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans. In 1998, he moved to Los Angeles and practiced internal medicine at Kaiser Permanente hospital in Woodland Hills.
Seven years later, he decided to leave medicine to pursue acting full time, although he has kept his medical license active.
His penchant for stealing scenes has helped establish Jeong as one of today’s top comedic stars. His feature film debut came in 2007 when he portrayed Dr. Kuni in Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up. He has since created memorable roles in film (The Hangover franchise and Crazy Rich Asians) and TV (Community). Jeong also created, wrote, executive produced, and starred in the sitcom Dr. Ken, and can be seen currently as a panelist on the hit FOX series The Masked Singer.
Jeong has for decades been a strong and unwavering advocate for the AAPI community. He was outspoken when racism and hate crimes rose against the AAPI community during the pandemic, appearing in national public service announcements and videos to quell anti-Asian hate.
He dedicates his spare time volunteering with Stand Up 2 Cancer, a cause close to his heart since his wife, Tran Ho, is a cancer survivor.
“As an actor, comedian, producer, and physician, Ken Jeong’s many and varied contributions to the entertainment industry and to community advocacy have combined to make an extraordinary global impact,” said California State University Trustee Wenda Fong, who along with Cal State LA President Berenecea Johnson Eanes hooded Jeong during the ceremony.
Jeong was one of three recipients of Cal State LA honorary degrees for 2025. Biotech leader and philanthropist Kevin Xu received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in an earlier ceremony on Tuesday, May 20, and stand-up comedian Jo Koy was scheduled to be conferred with an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts on Wednesday, May 21.
The Class of 2025 consisted of 6,501 students, with 5,255 receiving bachelor’s degrees, 1,215 master’s degrees, and 31 doctoral degrees.
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California State University, Los Angeles is the premier comprehensive public university in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA is ranked number one in the United States for the upward mobility of its students. Cal State LA is dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good, offering nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education, and the humanities. Founded in 1947, the University serves more than 24,000 students and has more than 250,000 distinguished alumni.
