November 28, 2011 — Coral Gables — Multiple Emmy-winning anchor and University of Miami alumna Jacqueline Nespral will speak to hundreds of graduates at UM’s December commencement ceremony on Thursday, December 15 at 10 a.m. at BankUnited Center.
During the ceremony, undergraduates, master’s degree candidates, and doctoral candidates from all UM schools and colleges (except for Miller School of Medicine M.D. degrees) will be recognized by name and walk across the stage to be congratulated by President Donna E. Shalala and their school’s dean.
Nespral will address graduates before the conferral of degrees.
Past president of the University of Miami Alumni Association, Nespral, A.B. ’89, anchors the 5, 6, and 11 p.m. newscasts on NBC Miami (WTVJ).
Raised in Miami by Cuban-born parents, Nespral enrolled at UM as a psychology major, originally aspiring to be a marriage counselor. She got her first taste of the public eye during her sophomore year, when her mother secretly entered her in the 1986 Orange Bowl Queen competition. The charismatic Nespral took the crown and embraced the accompanying media exposure, including appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman and a Bob Hope special.
A broadcaster for the Spanish-language network Univision spotted Nespral on the parade circuit and encouraged her to audition for the variety show Sábado Gigante. That job, which she held while completing her Bachelor of Arts in psychology with a minor in communications, led to an anchor spot on another Univision show, Noticias y Mas, and on the Television Martí network.
At age 26, Nespral was tapped by NBC’s Weekend Today to become the nation’s first Hispanic network news anchor.
Nespral returned to local news in 1995, filling NBC Miami’s anchor spot. She has covered such memorable stories as the Elian Gonzalez conflict, Pope John Paul II’s visit to Cuba, presidential debates, hurricanes, and the World Series, among others.
She serves on the board of directors for several philanthropic organizations, including Amigos for Kids, March of Dimes, Columbia Women’s Center, and South Miami Hospital’s Child Development Center. She has remained connected through the years to her beloved University of Miami, serving as an ex-officio member of the UM Board of Trustees and a member of the UM Alumni Association’s executive committee. She also is a past president of the UM Alumni Association, the first Hispanic woman to hold the post.
The December 2011 commencement ceremony will be streamed live on the World Wide Web. To watch the ceremony and for more information on commencement, visit http://www.miami.edu/commencement. Information also is available by calling 305-284-5798.
