Filipino-American comedian Jo Koy earned a significant academic honor in recognition of his continued success in the international comedy scene.
Photo: Jo Koy | California State University
The stand-up icon received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from California State University, Los Angeles.
The prestigious university shared the news on Instagram, along with his moving speech during the graduation ceremony. He recounted growing up at a time when Asian-American representation in media was scarce.
“It’s 36 years. It started in 1989. [I was] 18 years old, you watch TV, you don’t have many people who inspire you especially if you are a mixed kid trying to fight for his identity. I didn’t have many to look up on TV for inspiration so it was hard. It was not easy getting where you wanna go,” he said.
“It takes a lot of work, it takes a lot of sacrifices, it takes a lot of falling flat on your face and sometimes in those moments when you fall flat on your face that’s when you find out who you really are. That’s what makes you build the grit, the heart, and the strength for you to keep pushing,” he added.
Jo Koy also reminded the graduates to persevere in pursuing their dreams despite the struggles.
“No matter how many times you bomb, it doesn’t matter. Just don’t give up. Keep showing up, keep believing in yourself because you don’t need everyone to believe in you. Just you. Believe in you,” the comedian reiterated.
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The California State University, Los Angeles also awarded honorary degrees to biotech leader and philanthropist Kevin Xu and actor-comedian Ken Jeong in separate ceremonies. Xu received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, while Jeong was conferred an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts.
Born to an American father and Filipino mother, Jo Koy’s comedic talents have been showcased in several Netflix such as “Jo Koy: Live from Seattle,” “Jo Koy: In His Elements,” and “Jo Koy: Live from Brooklyn.”
He is set to star in the Hollywood movie “The Last Resort,” which was filmed in the Philippines. His scenes were recently shot in Palawan.
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