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Malaak Compton-Rock to Keynote UC Undergraduate Commencement

Philanthropist, Activist, Author to Speak at May 13 Ceremony

Written By Rocco Suppa '11, PR Intern

Contact - cleogrande@utica.edu

Utica, NY (04/26/2012) - Accomplished activist and generous philanthropist Malaak Compton-Rock will be the speaker at Utica College’s 63rd Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 13 at 9:30 a.m. at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.

After working as a public relations professional in the entertainment industry for many years, Compton-Rock decided her true desire was to help the less fortunate. She joined the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) where she designed and orchestrated numerous fundraising and advocacy events geared toward increasing the organization’s visibility and promoting private sector and corporate giving.

After three years, Compton-Rock decided to pursue her dream of starting her own nonprofit organization. Compton-Rock incorporated styleWORKS, which provides grooming seminars on a consultant basis and continues to offer monthly mentoring and job retention-based services.

She has also founded the Angelrock Project; an online e-village that promotes volunteerism, social responsibility, and sustainable change; the Champions for Children Committee; a prestigious group of well-known individuals committed to raising awareness about the signs and prevention of child abuse; and Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service, which takes at-risk youth from Brooklyn, N.Y. to Johannesburg, South Africa for two weeks of global volunteer service. 

Along with her husband, comedian/actor Chris Rock, Compton-Rock partners with the South African Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), The Food Garden Foundation and the Bushwick Salvation Army Community Center.

She also imparts her activist philosophy in her book,  "If It Takes A Village, Build One: How I Found Meaning Through a Life of Service and 100+ Ways You Can Too," in which she discusses how to effectively make a difference in one’s community and the world.

Compton-Rock earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in arts/production management from Howard University and received an honorary doctorate degree from Fairleigh Dickenson University in May 2009.


About Utica College – Utica College, founded in 1946, is a comprehensive private institution offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. The College, located in upstate central New York, approximately 90 miles west of Albany and 50 miles east of Syracuse, currently enrolls over 3,700 students in 37 undergraduate majors, 27 minors, 22 master’s and two doctoral degree programs.

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