HOT GALLERY: Snakkle Hands Out Diplomas to These Famous Grads Before They Were Stars

carrie underwood yearbook senior year salutorian graduation young 2001 photo

Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library

Who Am I?

carrie underwood yearbook senior year salutorian graduation young 2001 photo red carpet 2012

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Carrie Underwood, Salutatorian, Senior Year at Checotah High School in Checotah, Oklahoma (2001), and Carrie Underwood Today

Carrie Underwood’s only been out of high school 11 years, but in that brief decade she’s won American Idol (2005), released four albums, earned seven Grammy awards (amongst countless others), and gotten married to hockey player Mike Fisher. Geez, slow down, Carrie, and let the rest of us try to catch up!

chastity bono young high school senior graduation ceremony 1987 photo

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Who Am I?

chastity bono young high school senior graduation ceremony 1987 photo red carpet 2012

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Chastity Bono, School of the Performing Arts Graduation at LaGuardia High School in New York City (1987) and Chaz Bono Today

The only child of entertainers Cher and Sonny Bono, Chastity Bono came out to her parents as a lesbian the year she graduated from high school. She worked as an advocate for LGBT communities politically and professionally until surprising the world in 2008 with the announcement that she was undergoing female-to-male gender transition. In 2010, Bono legally changed his gender and name to Chaz Salvatore Bono.

claire danes young high school senior yearbook cap and gown 1997 photo

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Who Am I?

claire danes young high school senior yearbook cap and gown 1997 photo red carpet 2012

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Claire Danes, Le Lycee Francais de Los Angeles Graduation (1997) and Claire Danes Today

Claire Danes started acting professionally in her early teens but took a break after graduating from the prestigious performing arts high school Le Lycee Francais de Los Angeles to attend Yale. She only matriculated for two years before she quit to go back to acting full time. A recent Emmy, SAG and Golden Globe winner, Claire seems to be doing just fine without the B.A.

jamie foxx young high school senior year graduation 1986 photo

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Who Am I?

jamie foxx young high school senior year graduation 1986 photo red carpet 2012

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Jamie Foxx, Graduation Pose at Terrell High School in Terrell, Texas (1986), and Jamie Foxx Today

An accomplished athlete and musical performer in high school, Eric Marlon Bishop (his birth name before he adopted the stage name Jamie Foxx) graduated with a full scholarship to study classical music and composition at the United States International University. Five years later, Foxx was a cast member on In Living Color, creating classic characters like Wanda Wayne and Cornbread Turner. Did we mention he’s got an Academy Award too?

jodie foster senior yearbook graduation valedictorian 1980 photo

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Who Am I?

jodie foster senior yearbook graduation valedictorian 1980 photo red carpet 2012

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Jodie Foster, Valedictorian, Le Lycee Francais de Los Angeles Graduation (1980) and Jodie Foster Today

An actress from the age of 3, Jodie Foster managed to work all throughout her teens and maintain egghead status at the Le Lycee Francais de Los Angeles, where she graduated valedictorian. She then went to Yale University and graduated magna cum laude. In her speech she said, “My Yale experience has given me the luxury of choice. I’ve chosen to make my life, my work, my love, my characters stand for something, however small and insignificant that legacy may be. And each one of you will have your own way, your own battles, your own process.” Since then she’s won two Oscars and directed three films.

lebron james senior yearbook graduation young 2003 photo

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Who Am I?

lebron james senior yearbook graduation young 2003 photo portrait miami heat game 5 eastern conference quarterfinals nba playoffs 2012 basketball

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Lebron James, St. Vincent-St. Mary Graduation in Akron, Ohio (2003), and Lebron James Today

In Lebron James’s freshman year of high school, he became a basketball phenom. By his second year of high school, he was the first sophomore to make it onto the USA Today All-USA first team. As a senior, James already was a cover boy for both Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine. He graduated with a record 2,657 points, 892 rebounds, and 523 assists. Nine years into his pro career, the only thing James has yet to snag is a championship ring…but maybe soon?

luke perry yearbook senior year graduation young 1984 photo

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Who Am I?

luke perry yearbook senior year graduation young 1984 photo red carpet 2012

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Luke Perry, Graduation Pose at Fredericktown High School in Fredericktown, Ohio (1984), and Luke Perry Today

Actor Luke Perry actually graduated from high school in 1984 and then struggled in Hollywood as an actor until he made it big by going back to high school. Cast as Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1990, Perry became a teen heartthrob. Since the heyday of the series, Perry’s been working steadily in film and TV.

michelle obama young yearbook senior graduation 1981 photo

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Who Am I?

michelle obama young yearbook senior graduation 1981 photo red carpet 2012

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Michelle Obama, Salutatorian, Graduation Pose at Whitney Young High School in Chicago (1981) and Michelle Obama Today

An academic overachiever all through high school, Michelle Obama (then Robinson) graduated as a member of the National Honor Society, student council treasurer, and salutatorian of her class. She then attended Princeton University and got her law degree from Harvard Law School. Now she’s kind of a big thing as First Lady of the United States, with platforms supporting military families and preventing childhood obesity.

miranda lambert young yearbook senior graduation singing 2002 photo

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Who Am I?

miranda lambert young yearbook senior graduation singing 2002 photo red carpet 2012

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Miranda Lambert, Lindale High School Graduation in Lindale, Texas (2002), and Miranda Lambert Today

A freshman at Lindale High School in 1999, Miranda Lambert would catch the eye of the country music community only four years later as a finalist on Nashville Star. Now she’s the new wife of fellow nominee Blake Shelton and the recent winner of the Academy of Country Music Female Vocalist of the Year.

viola davis young yearbook senior graduation 1983 photo

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Who Am I?

viola davis young yearbook senior graduation 1983 photo red carpet 2012

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Viola Davis, Central Falls High School Graduation in Central Falls, Rhode Island (1983), and Viola Davis Today

Viola Davis fell in love with performing at her high school and graduated with the intention of making a career of her passion. She enrolled in the theater program at Rhode Island College and then attended Juilliard. Now she’s a two-time Tony winner and a two-time Academy Award nominee.

brooke shields college graduation princeton young 1987 photo

Richard Corkery-Globe Photos, Inc.

Who Am I?

brooke shields college graduation princeton young 1987 photo red carpet 2012

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Brooke Shields, Princeton Graduation (1987) and Brooke Shields Today

Brooke Shields started overachieving at the wee age of 11 months, when she became the baby face of Ivory soap. From there, she’s never looked back, becoming an internationally famous model and actress with a career that’s still going strong. Attending Princeton University was actually one of the few periods where she just lived like the rest of us. Last year she went back to her alma mater to talk to the class of 2011, and Shields let them know back then “my hair was huge. My Reeboks white. My jeans acid washed. You were not even born."

jennifer hudson young red carpet 2012 photo yearbook

Who Am I?

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Jennifer Hudson, Graduation Pose at Dunbar Vocational High School in Englewood, Illinois (1999), and Jennifer Hudson Today

Only five years after graduating from high school, Jennifer Hudson made it to the top seven of American Idol but then felt the sting of defeat when she was shockingly voted off. Of course, no one has to feel bad for Jennifer, because only a year later she was cast as Effie White in the Dreamgirls film, which won her an Academy Award. Today Hudson has a white-hot career in film and music, a new baby, and one heck of a killer new figure.