YouTube Entrepreneur Cassey Ho ’09 Announced as Whittier College 2018 Commencement Speaker

April 27, 2018

Cassey HoEntrepreneur, CEO, fitness instructor, and author Cassey Ho ’09 will address Whittier College’s graduating class as the keynote speaker at the 2018 Commencement Ceremony on May 18 in Memorial Stadium. 

In less than a decade after graduating from Whittier, Ho has built a health and fitness empire as the CEO of four international brands. Ho majored in biology and minored in business administration, benefiting from Whittier’s interdisciplinary curriculum, and learned how to successfully blend her creativity, analytical thinking, communications skills, and entrepreneurial spirit. Her growing success has landed her on the cover of Health magazine and she has appeared on numerous media outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, People magazine, and the Today Show, among others. 

“It is exciting to see one of our own young alumni come back and speak to our graduating class this year,” said Whittier College President Sharon D. Herzberger. “I have admired Cassey’s drive and focus since she was a first-year student at this College, and it has been fun to encounter young people around the country and abroad who admire her too. She has effectively used her liberal arts education to create a successful business and launch global brands. Cassey’s experience will resonate with our graduates who are on the brink of their own careers.” 

Ho is the creator of Blogilates, the number one female fitness channel on YouTube with more than 500 million video views and four million subscribers. As a Pilates instructor and fitness personality, she has been motivating people to move and stay fit for nearly a decade. Ho began her business ventures with the creation of POP Pilates, a live class and internationally recognized instructor certificate program. The program is the official Pilates format used in all 24 Hour Fitness gyms in the United States.

Ho is also the author of the best-selling book, Hot Body Year Round, and the designer and manufacturer of her own performance active wear line, POPFLEX. In 2016, she created PIIT28 – an equipment-free Pilates Intense Interval Training workout. 

Throughout her career, Ho has received various honors, including being named “One of the 25 most influential people on the Internet,” by Time magazine. She has also taken home the Streamy Award for Best Health & Fitness Channel in 2014, 2016, and 2017 in addition to the Shorty Award for Social Fitness.

About Whittier College 
Founded in 1887, Whittier College is an independent four-year residential liberal arts college that encourages students to question the world around them and figure out their place in it. Located in the heart of Southern California between bustling Los Angeles and beautiful Orange County, Whittier is distinguished by its small size, energetic faculty, and nationally recognized curriculum. With an emphasis on diversity, community, and curricular innovation, the College’s primary mission is to endow students with the education, skills, and values appropriate for global leadership and service.