Heavy James Van Der Beek celebrated his graduation.
A former “Dancing with the Stars” contestant recently celebrated a proud accomplishment. Season 28 DWTS contestant James Van Der Beek received an honorary college degree. In addition, he had a special role in the graduation ceremony.
Here’s what you need to know:
James Van Der Beek Received an Honorary Bachelor’s Degree
On May 11, Van Der Beek took to his Instagram page to share the exciting news. The caption of his post began, “Guess who graduated today?”
The “Dancing with the Stars” alum continued, “Only took me two years of school and 27 years of working in my industry.” Van Der Beek credited Drew University, which is located in Madison, New Jersey, for helping him achieve his goal.
The “Dawson’s Creek” star explained that Drew University “gave me an honorary Bachelor of Arts degree AND the honor of being the commencement speaker.”
Van Der Beek shared a video showing him with his family while he wore a graduation cap and gown. “The last time I wore this, I was graduating fake high school,” he quipped.
Additional shots in the video showed his wife, Kimberly, by his side as well as the actor standing at the podium, delivering his speech.
Several other pictures showed the “Dancing with the Stars” alum surrounded by his children. They appeared quite excited to celebrate with their dad.
Van Der Beek Dropped out of Drew University to Star in ‘Dawson’s Creek’
Van Der Beek chose the Tom Petty song “Runnin’ Down a Dream” to accompany his video.
The “Dancing with the Stars” alum also noted in his caption, “SO great to see my old friends, professors, and roommate, and take my kids around such a special, beautiful campus that holds so many formative memories from another lifetime ago.”
The actor finished his caption by writing, “Deeply humbled and grateful to have closed a loop I hadn’t even realized needed [closed]. Life is crazy… and beautiful.”
In April, Drew University announced Van Der Beek would deliver a commencement speech for their College of Liberal Arts. As they noted, the actor studied at the school in 1995 and had an academic scholarship.
When Van Der Beek received the offer to play Dawson in “Dawson’s Creek,” he decided to drop out of college.
The university shared that Van Der Beek received the honorary degree for his “selfless service and exemplary commitment to the mission of Drew.”
The DWTS Alum Received Lots of Love in Response to His Post
NJ.com noted that at the beginning of his commencement speech, Van Der Beek shared, “I have so many fond memories from my time here in the forest. Your greatest possible destiny is the one you will write.”
He added, “I’m just here to offer a few observations from having walked down the road a bit.” The “Dawson’s Creek” star encouraged graduates to “ask that newly minted, freshly certified brain to execute at the behest of your heart, and not the other way around.”
Van Der Beek’s former “Dancing with the Stars” partner, Emma Slater, commented on his post. “LOVE THIS!! Get it,❤️” she wrote.
Sasha Farber, who is also a professional dancer on “Dancing with the Stars,” and Slater’s ex-husband, commented, “Yesssss.”
When one follower questioned Van Der Beek’s degree, wondering if he actually finished the coursework, the actor responded. “Yes If you want to get technical about it… my course load was accelerated to the point where I was on track to graduate in just 3 years.”
Van Der Beek continued, “I was nominated for this honor, and it was put up for a vote whether or not they felt I’d earned my degree via my work in the field.”
“Congrats to you, and amazing to have achieved a ‘surprise’ goal. Coolest aspect is your kids get to see this milestone and the importance it has on you. Enjoy each day, ❤️” read a comment from one of the actor’s fans.