How’s this for a movie pitch: A kid has a gig selling Xerox copy machines when he sees a literal sign for the film program at the Lesley College of Art & Design. Perhaps this is another kind of sign, he thinks.
Juno Harris’s journey from Xerox salesman to 2025 Undergraduate Commencement Speaker at Lesley University is a story of inspiration, determination, and resilience. Harris told the gathered graduates at the Leader Bank Pavilion he was always interested in filmmaking and storytelling, but he was turned down by several schools because of his grades. So he went to community college to work on his grades, sometimes sleeping in his truck to balance school, work, and his artistic passions.
But he did it.
“Lesley wasn’t just a school for me—it was a launchpad,” he said in his Commencement address. He says his choice of Lesley was a pivotal decision for him. “It felt like a place where I could develop both creatively and intellectually, surrounded by faculty and peers who are deeply passionate and thoughtful. The environment here pushed me to dig deeper into my craft, but also to think critically about the world I’m creating in,” he says.
With his degree in digital filmmaking, Harris is going to continue writing, directing, and producing films that are “untold stories—particularly ones rooted in identity, spirituality, and justice." He continues, "I also hope to keep working at the intersection of art, education, and community engagement.”
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