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Commencement
Commemorating our Graduating Class of 2025
Family, friends, and community members will gather to celebrate our graduating students’ accomplishments as they receive their diplomas on Friday, May 16, 2025, at the Field House.
The ceremonies will be livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook for those who can’t attend in person.
Tickets are by invitation of a graduating studentFor other ticketing questions or concerns, please contact the Commencement Committee.
The commencement keynote speaker for each ceremony is a notable figure selected to offer advice and reflections to our graduating classes as they prepare to share with the world their knowledge and skills gained at Gallaudet University.
This year, we are honored to have Dr. Carol Padden deliver the keynote address for the graduate ceremony, and Dr. Tom Humphries, ’68 & G-’72 as the keynote presenter for the undergraduate ceremony.
Graduate Ceremony Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient
Undergraduate Ceremony Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient
These students speakers will share their journeys, insights, and advice to their graduating classes to prepare them for the future after Gallaudet University. It is an honor for these students to be selected as Undergraduate or Graduate Commencement Speaker.
Gallaudet University has selected undergraduate and graduate students to speak to their graduating classes since 1991. If you would like to know who were our previous student speakers, our Archives and Deaf Collections updates the list annually.
Graduate Class of 2024 Speaker
Undergraduate Class of 2024 Speaker
Professor Emerita
Professor Emeritus
Each year in May, we recognize the accomplishments of students who have demonstrated academic excellence and exceptional leadership in their fields.
Please join us in celebrating our Award recipients and their outstanding scholarly achievements!
Stay updated on Gallaudet stories and initiatives in our Signing community!
Watch below and be inspired by the words of these accomplished leaders such as notable speakers including Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum of Mount Holyoke College and author, Dr. Annelies Kusters of Heriot-Watt University, Scotland, Dr. Naomi Caselli of Boston University, and so many more.
Watch now and be inspired by the words of these accomplished leaders
2024 Commencement 2023 Commencement 2022 Commencement 2020 & 2021 Virtual Commencement 2019 Commencement 2018 Commencement 2017 Commencement
Tickets are required for entrance to commencement. You must have a ticket by invitation of a graduating student, or be a volunteer, to attend.
You will find information on the ceremony schedule, ticketing, and events leading up to the big day. Additionally, we have included resources for ordering your cap and gown, and information on our virtual Grad Fest.
If you have any specific questions that are not answered on the webpage, please feel free to contact the Commencement Team via the contact form below. We are here to assist you in any way we can.
Commencement – Your Guide to Graduation
Dr. Carol Ann Padden was born in Washington, D.C., the daughter of two of Gallaudet University’s most noted alumni, Donald and Agnes Padden, both of whom taught at Gallaudet for nearly four decades. Dr. Padden attended preschool and the first two grades on the Gallaudet campus at Kendall School (now the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center’s Kendall Demonstration Elementary School). In third grade, she transferred to a public school, which she describes as a significant adjustment for her. Being the only deaf student among her hearing classmates, and a lifetime of navigating between the deaf and hearing worlds, led Dr. Padden to pursue an academic career in language, communication, and culture.
Dr. Padden earned her bachelor’s degree at Georgetown University In Washington, D.C. in 1978, and upon completing her Ph.D. in Linguistics at University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in 1983, Dr. Padden joined the faculty in the Department of Communication at the same university. After a term as chair of the Department of Communication, she became associate dean and faculty equity advisor in the School of Social Sciences. In 2014, she was appointed dean of Social Sciences, and holds the Sanford I. Berman Chair in Language and Human Communication. In addition to research on sign languages, her work has explored the historical and contemporary dimensions of Deaf culture, the planning of reading instruction for young deaf children by adults and teachers, and the future of Deaf people in the age of cochlear implants and genetic engineering.
Dr. Padden has also gained distinction through devoting her time as a volunteer for community organizations and academic institutions, including the Board of Trustees at Gallaudet University, where she is a trustee emerita, serving from 1989 to 2003, including several years as vice chair. She holds honorary doctoral degrees from the University of Haifa, Israel and Swarthmore College.
During her address to the graduate Class of 2024, Dr. Padden will talk about deafness in the age of genetic engineering and Artificial Intelligence. She will also be awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.
Dr. Tommy (Tom) Leonard Humphries was born in a small town in South Carolina. He was educated at a local public school, surrounded by hearing people, not meeting another deaf person until he entered Gallaudet University. His immersion among this large community of ASL users was an enlightening experience and gave him a different perspective on himself and the culture of the community he found there.
At Gallaudet, Dr. Humphries majored in Education, and taught in the University’s English department after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 1968 and a master’s in 1972. He went on to earn his Ph.D. in Cross Cultural Communication and Language Learning at the Union Institute & University, Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1977. During this doctoral study in 1975, he designed a bilingual approach to teaching deaf language learners and explored the effects on learning of what he called “audism” – a belief in the superiority of the state of being hearing. He then moved to San Diego, California and worked as a college administrator until he left to get back into teaching and research at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in 1991. Jointly appointed to the departments of Communication and Education Studies at UCSD, he focused much of his career researching deaf cultural processes and how deaf people imagined their community into being. He has been a strong advocate for bilingual education in American Sign Language and English, and he has collaborated with scholars and colleagues across other universities to inform the national dialogue on the developmental needs of deaf children.
During his address to the graduate Class of 2024, Dr. Humphries will talk about a lifelong commitment to changing narratives and service. He will also be awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.
Aanuoluwapo “Aanu” Omoleye grew up in Ekiti State, Nigeria. She earned her bachelor’s degree in special education with a minor in economics from the University of Ibadan. While in Nigeria, she actively volunteered with many youth and disability rights organizations and held multiple leadership positions. In the fall of 2022, Aanu began her master’s degree in the International Development M.A. program and served as the program’s graduate assistant. She led Gallaudet international tea parties and co-organized the international student scholarship fund. Over three semesters’ time, she worked with the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, and the Office of International Affairs.
As a first year student, Aanu was selected for the highly competitive graduate fellows program of the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area. This gave her the opportunity to learn more about the United Nations system and participate in two major events at U.N. Headquarters in New York, including the 78th General Assembly. She also served as vice president of the African Student Union and won first place during Gallaudet’s Sixth Annual Student Bison Tank for her innovative social enterprise, AbleBooks Africa.During her second year, Aanu was selected by Google as a student essay award winner to attend their first-ever Product Inclusion and Equity Summit in California. The National Disability Mentoring Coalition selected her as a Dinah F. B. Cohen Dream Fellow.
In January 2024, Aanu joined the International Labour Organization – a United Nations agency, as the gender and disability inclusion intern at the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand. She had previously interned at Global Ties U.S. in Washington, D.C., supporting their international education and diplomacy work.
After receiving Gallaudet’s Student Bison Tank prize and the Tony Elumelu Foundation Award, Aanu started AbleBooks Africa and currently leads a team of five creatives and over 70 volunteers. Her organization has published its first storybook, Dolly’s World, and sent 1000 copies to over 25 Deaf schools in 20 Nigerian states. The organization is set to release two additional storybooks by June and July 2024 and will expand its outreach to three more African countries.
Upon graduation, Aanu hopes to continue supporting disability-inclusion advocacy efforts in her country and work with local and international organizations to advance disability rights and social justice globally.
Micah Allure Lovell is a Deaf BlaQueer transmasc nonbinary student studying social work with a minor in psychology. Raised in New York City, they attended St. Joseph School for the Deaf until fourth grade before transitioning to public schools as the only deaf student. In ninth grade, they were fortunate enough to become a Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) Scholar. This free, eight-year academic program primarily serves low-income high school students of color in New York City and San Francisco. This nonprofit organization equipped Micah with the necessary academic skills and resources to graduate from high school and gain admission to twelve colleges.
Micah moved to Washington, D.C. at 17 years old to attend Gallaudet University. When they arrived on campus during the summer of 2018, they joined the JumpStart Program to reacclimate with the Deaf community. That first day of JumpStart was only the beginning of a new era of Micah that others would grow to know and love today. Although Micah is ironically an introvert, they grew as a natural advocate with their gift for working with people. They have taken on leadership positions in various departments and organizations such as the ALLStar Lab, Rainbow Society, Peer Advisor Program, JumpStart, and Youth Programs.
In their final undergraduate year, Micah juggled many responsibilities as president of Rainbow Society, an LGBTQ+ student organization, and Outreach Coordinator at Multicultural Student Programs (MSP). They produced a documentary, Trans Visibility Now, about transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse students at Gallaudet for their Honors Capstone project. Many people describe Micah as a “beautiful soul” as they deeply engage with others and listen to their stories. They are passionate about their black and brown trans queer siblings and committed to uplifting marginalized groups. What SEO Scholars does for underserved youth is powerful, and it is Micah’s vision to start a similar nonprofit organization for Deaf and hard of hearing youth across the country.