When Jawaad “KJ” Benson ’26 takes the stage as Bucknell’s student commencement speaker, it will mark more than just the conclusion of his undergraduate career. For Benson, a biology major on the pre-med track, the moment represents the fulfillment of a dream years in the making.

Originally from Chester, Pennsylvania, Benson now proudly calls Philadelphia home. A first-generation student and a member of the Bucknell Community College Scholars Program (BCCSP), Benson said his path to Bucknell was shaped by both personal hardship and a deep desire to serve others.

Before transferring to Bucknell, Benson attended community college right before the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, he helped care for a loved one battling cancer, an experience that ultimately reaffirmed his childhood dream of becoming a doctor and inspired his current goal of becoming an oncologist.

As he considered where to continue his education, Benson said Bucknell immediately stood out because of the sense of support and community he felt from the start. His sister, Jasmine, had previously been part of the BCCSP program, and conversations with both her and faculty members helped solidify his decision.

“She told me to come here and everything else will work out,” Benson said. 

That welcoming environment quickly became central to Benson’s Bucknell experience. Over the past two years, he immersed himself in campus life through organizations including Bucknell Student Government and the Black Student Union. He also served as a peer teaching assistant through the BCCSP program. 

“A lot of people say to me, ‘you’ve done more things in two years than most people did in four’,” Benson recounted.

One of the initiatives Benson said he is most proud of is creating a financial literacy program for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, helping them to better understand topics like paychecks, insurance and finances.

“Students who come from low socioeconomic communities probably don’t have the tools and resources to understand how business works,” Benson said.

Mental health advocacy also became an important part of Benson’s time at Bucknell, becoming certified in suicide prevention through the Bandana Project. He shared that personal experiences with mental disorders within his family made his work with suicide prevention especially meaningful.

Outside of campus organizations, Benson has also built a platform as a motivational speaker through daily videos posted on Instagram on the account @kingjay_inspires. Through these videos, he hopes to encourage others and remind students that they are not alone.

“What brings me joy is when students reach out,” Benson said. “They’ll simply say, ‘Hey, I’m having a bad day. I watched your video, I want to talk to you, I want to understand you more as a person’… I love when people say, ‘You made me have a better day.’” 

Although Benson said he values individuality, he said the most meaningful part of his Bucknell experience has been finding a community where he feels both accepted and empowered to uplift others.

“Just seeing that so many people gravitated to my personality authentically, and just being able to be a voice to other people that are like myself,” Benson said. “To be able to show people that it doesn’t matter where you come from, you’ll be able to do anything.”

Benson said many of the opportunities he pursued at Bucknell came from people around him encouraging him to step into leadership roles and believe in himself.

“A lot of people see me on campus as a person who was always doing something or was always involved, but believe it or not, it’s because other people pushed me to do things and thought that I was special enough to be there,” Benson said. 

Now, as commencement approaches, Benson said being selected as student speaker holds special significance because it represents the realization of a long-held goal.

“Being commencement speaker just means that I’ll finally be able to have a conversation that resonates with the entire student body,” Benson said.

In preparing his speech, Benson realized he wanted every graduate to feel reflected in his words.

“I don’t live a life that’s about me,” Benson said. “I wanted to create something that resonates with every student.”

He explained that his goal is for students from all backgrounds to see themselves in the speech and reflect on their own experiences at Bucknell.

“I just want everyone to feel like they’re welcome,” Benson said, “and that when they’re sitting there for five minutes, they’re being transported into a world that’s about them.”

Looking ahead, Benson plans to continue gaining clinical experience while preparing for a future career in medicine. But outside of academics and career goals, he said the greatest lesson he has learned at Bucknell is the importance of pushing beyond yourself to achieve great things.

For underclassmen and incoming students, Benson offered one piece of advice: strive not only to succeed, but to make a meaningful impact.

“Everybody that got accepted here is smart; they are brilliant,” Benson said. “But shoot to be extraordinary.”