Commencement 2025: Undergraduate Student Speaker Aubrie Bauer loves criticism

Aubrie Bauer, ’25, stood on stage as the Undergraduate Student Speaker for Commencement 2025. In just a few minutes, she would be handed bachelor’s degrees in both History and Government, graduating summa cum laude. Two years on the Gallaudet Debate Team had prepared her to deliver her speech for maximum impact. 

Bauer clapped her hands and asked the audience if they were ready. Everyone leaned forward in their seats, waiting for her to share the secrets to her success.

She told them about her biggest failure. During her sophomore year, Bauer was cut from a Debate Team competition. 

“I had two options,” she reflects. “Cry and quit the team. Or ask for criticism.”

Opening

Bauer grew up in Indiana with a Deaf mother and brother, and attended Indiana School for the Deaf. When it was time for high school, her family relocated to Washington, D.C. so she could attend Model Secondary School for the Deaf at Gallaudet.

After four years of school at Kendall Green, Bauer was itching for something new. She loved to travel and had dreams of attending college in Germany, but it wasn’t in the cards. Her parents set up a meeting with Gallaudet faculty and staff, including professor Brendan Stern, ’06. She decided to give Gallaudet a chance.

“No regrets,” says Bauer now. “I love it here.”

From the beginning, she knew she wanted to major in History. She remembers being intrigued by Abraham Lincoln as a kid, and reading nonfiction books until four in the morning. That spark for knowledge grew as her mother and teachers fanned the flames.

At Gallaudet, Bauer was encouraged to embrace her love of history by Professor William Ennis, ’00, who shared her fascination with World War II and US Presidents. He pushed Bauer to think critically about the past and become a better writer.

Ennis remembers, “Aubrie and her dog Mercedes were a fixture in my office for four years, and that time was used to talk about Deaf culture, history, debating, traveling, politics, life, family… She might be the only student I have worked with that cared less about her grade and more about growing intellectually, academically, and as a person. Although she will no longer be my student, I am fortunate that she will be a peer, maybe someday a colleague, but most of all my friend.”

Later, she met a fellow student that was majoring in both History and Government. Slowly but surely, she found herself warming to the idea of becoming a double major herself. She took the plunge and found herself back in a classroom with Professor Stern.

Cross-Examination

Stern’s Government classes, and his methods of challenging students to think critically, opened Bauer’s mind to new ideas. She dove into political theory and philosophy, learning how to engage with ideas she might have otherwise dismissed.

Stern is also the Debate Team coach at Gallaudet. With her love of history and politics, Bauer now seems like a natural fit for debate. But, by her own admission, she was shy during her first year of college. Veteran debaters Aubrey Moorman, ’23, and Lexi Hill, ’23 had to push her to try out for the team during her sophomore year.

She fell in love with the art of debate. Bauer had never experienced such intense levels of discussion, grappling with ideas and molding them into cohesive arguments. It felt like home.

Until it wasn’t. While preparing for a competition, Bauer submitted an argument that wasn’t up to the team’s standards, and she was let go. She knew she could either walk away or face her fears. After some soul-searching, she went to Hill and Moorman, and asked them for honest feedback. They delivered. It wasn’t easy, but Bauer swallowed her pride. She listened and learned, and became an irreplaceable member of the team.

“She made our classes and practices better just by being there and by always keeping us on our toes,” Stern says.

In her junior year, Bauer came back stronger than ever. She partnered with Lorelei Becktel, ’25, to win the second round of the Transatlantic Dialogues Tournament, the Debate Team’s first-ever tournament championship. They followed it up with a strong showing at the third round in Paris.

Closing Argument

Going into her senior year, Bauer felt unstoppable, but there were more lessons to be had. When she submitted a lackluster argument for a debate competition, Head Coach Stern didn’t hold back. Bauer listened and learned once again. She had 24 hours to draft a new argument for the competition. She won.

In her Commencement speech, Bauer reflected on the power of “good conversation, good arguments, and good criticism.” She reminisced about late-night conversations with friends, open-minded arguments with her peers, and criticism that cultivated her growth.

Through it all, she encouraged her fellow graduates to seek out uncomfortable situations. She thanked her friends, her mother, and Professors Ennis and Stern for their support. She also thanked Gallaudet for being a place that can hold good conversation, good arguments, and good criticism for deaf and hard of hearing students.

“It has been a joy for me to see the curly-haired freshman with the warm smile grow into the intellectual powerhouse that we saw at Commencement,” says Ennis. “Her speech really sums up everything you need to know about Aubrie. The only thing she needed to add was a mic to drop.”

“Aubrie Bauer’s Commencement speech was a beautiful testament to the power of a bilingual liberal arts education at Gallaudet,” Stern says. “Her clarity and sharp mind showed how debate shapes curious, well-rounded citizens. I’ll miss her deeply.”

Bauer’s messages resonated because she had practiced what she preached. Her enthusiasm and storytelling skills captivated the audience, and her openness about her most challenging moments at Gallaudet gave meaning to the words.

“Growth comes from accepting criticism and being willing to listen,” Bauer says. “Criticism is your best teacher.”

The afternoon of Commencement, she stood on the stage as living proof.

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Check out the Commencement 2025 recap for more stories, as well as photos of the event.

Want to see Aubrie Bauer’s speech? Watch the online recording of the Undergraduate Ceremony.