Commencement Speaker

Marissa Bode

Actress & Disability Rights Activist
Undergraduate Commencement Speaker

Marissa Bode made her feature film debut as principal character, Nessarose, in Universal's WICKED duology directed by Jon M. Chu, and also starring Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Bowen Yang, Jeff Goldblum, and Michelle Yeoh.

As a disability rights activist, she is proud to be the first wheelchair user to play the role of Nessarose. Marissa has been acting since the age of 8 and trained at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. She lives in Los Angeles and enjoys cooking and spending time with her 3 cats.