‘Ugly’ actress earns degree
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Nearly 25 years after leaving Syracuse University, Vanessa Williams will get her bachelor of fine arts degree this weekend.
The 45-year-old actress-singer, who stars in ABC’s “Ugly Betty,” will also deliver the convocation address Saturday to graduates of Syracuse’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.
Williams attended Syracuse’s drama department as a musical theater major from 1981 to 1983. She earned the remaining credits for her degree through industry experience and performances on stage and screen.
In 1983, Williams became the first black Miss America.
She surrendered the title in July 1984 after Penthouse magazine published nude, sexually explicit photographs of her taken several years earlier.
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