Commencement 2009 Highlights

Gallaudet University held its 140^th Commencement on Friday, May 15 at 1:30 p.m., in the Field House.

Graduate Awards and Hooding Ceremony was Thursday, May 14 at 4:00 p.m. in the Elstad Auditorium.

Watch the Hooding ceremony

Commencement Speaker (Watch the video)

The Honorable Wilma Newhoudt-Druchen

Newhoudt-Druchen, a Gallaudet alumna who in 1999 became the first deaf person to be elected to the South African Parliament, shared her experiences with the Class of 2009 at Gallaudet’s 140th Commencement exercises on May 15.

Newhoudt-Druchen was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree from President Davila at Commencement.

Newhoudt-Druchen earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in social work from Gallaudet. She began using the leadership skills she acquired at the University when she became a social worker in 1994 for Deaf Community of Cape Town. A few years later, she was hired as provincial director of the Deaf Federation of South Africa, and today holds the distinction of being the first woman to serve as chair of this national organization for deaf people. She quickly acquired a reputation as a staunch advocate for people with disabilities and was nominated to Parliament by the organization Disabled People of South Africa.

Over the past decade, Newhoudt-Druchen has gained recognition for her skill, energy, and dedication as chair of Parliament’s Joint Monitoring Committee on the Improvement of Quality of Life and Status of Children, Youth, and Disabled Persons. In addition to her trailblazing efforts in her own country, Newhoudt-Druchen has distinguished herself on the world stage through her leadership as a board member of the World Federation of the Deaf. In recognition of her outstanding achievements in promoting the rights of deaf people, the Gallaudet University Alumni Association awarded its Outstanding Young Alumnus Award to Newhoudt-Druchen in 2002.

Undergraduate Student Speakers (Watch the video)

Bradley Dale is from Texarkana, Arkansas. He attended the Arizona School for the Deaf in Tucson, and is receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in American Sign Language. Brad received the George Veditz Outstanding Student Award from the Department of American Sign Language and Deaf Studies for his excellence in academics, effective interpersonal skills, and leadership abilities. He has also received certificates of appreciation from the Rainbow Alliance of the Deaf (RAD) and the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) for his services as a volunteer deaf interpreter. Brad is a proud member of the Alpha Sigma Pi Fraternity since 2007 and has served as that organization’s vice president and secretary. He has been a student assistant in the Office of Admissions; an American Sign Language tutor for Tutorial and Instructional Programs, and a long-time volunteer interpreter for the deaf-blind community. He was conference planning chairperson for the Calibere Leadership Conference for the Office of Campus Activities. Brad has been accepted into the master’s degree program in interpreting at Gallaudet University. He looks forward to following the late Dr. Mike Kemp’s footsteps in teaching, developing, and expanding research in signed languages in the United States and abroad.

Colleen Doyle is from Houston, Texas. She received her associate of applied science degree from what is now Lone Star College-North Harris, and enrolled at Gallaudet University in the fall of 2007. She is graduating summa cum laude with General Studies Honors, having earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies and a minor in Journalism. She was awarded the Fantastic First Year Student award for her dedication, respect for others, and commitment to academic excellence. She was inducted into the Gallaudet University chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the honor society of the National Communication Association, and the Phi Alpha Pi Honor Society. Colleen worked in the Office of Alumni Relations as a student assistant, writing material to support events such as Charter Day. She also worked in the Office of Enrollment Marketing, where she contributed to the University’s blog website, The Link, and other promotional materials. Colleen enjoys traveling and plans to continue exploring the world after graduation. She hopes to work in the field of journalism or public relations. She also plans to pursue a graduate degree in international development.

Graduate Student Speaker (Watch the video)

Luciana Spinosi was born and raised in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. She is a proud child of deaf adults (CODA) and the oldest of five children. She completed her undergraduate studies at Kutztown University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in education. She was the first person in her family to earn a college degree. Luciana taught deaf and hearing students at Eggbuckland Community College in Plymouth, England, and then returned to the United States to continue her teaching career. After a decade of service in the Pennsylvania public school system, she made the move to Gallaudet University to empower her two Deaf children, her Deaf husband, and her CODA-self with the education, experience, tools, and Deaf role models necessary to meet the challenges of their lives. In the spring of 2008, Luciana was named a President’s Scholar and served as group leader and co-advisor of the Cultural Exchange Program at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf. She is graduating with a Master of Arts degree in Teaching in American Sign Language/English Bilingual Deaf Education. She is currently employed as a social studies teacher at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf. Luciana looks forward to continuing her career as an educator of the future members and leaders of tomorrow’s Deaf community.

Honorary Degree Recipients

Dr. Ursula Bellugi
Dr. Davila awarded an honorary doctor of science degree to Dr. Ursula Bellugi. Bellugi is director of the Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif., and is a pioneer in the study of the biological foundations of language. She is known for her early work in the neurobiology of America Sign Language users. Her work was among the first to demonstrate structural properties of a signed language and to use hemispheric studies to show left hemisphere specialization in signed languages, just as it does for spoken languages. Her laboratory not only helped to establish American Sign Language as a human language, but was also a place where she and her team of colleagues were able to document that the acquisition of signed languages by young deaf children closely resembles the acquisition of spoken languages. As a result of her many years of dedicated research on American Sign Language, there is now a broad interest in studying languages in another modality and in the plasticity of the human brain with respect to language.

Knüd Søndergaard Knud Søndergaard
An honorary doctor of humane letters degree was awarded to Knud Søndergaard. Søndergaard is a man of considerable achievements who has made countless contributions to improve the quality of life for individuals in the deaf community in local, national, regional, and international arenas. Deaf people have seen major improvements in many different aspects of life, including education, social service, recreation, and government service because of his commitment and dedication. Since 1982, Søndergaard has served as president of the Center for Døve, a national institute in Denmark with programs and services for deaf inpiduals who are elderly and have multiple disabilities, as well as for deaf youth, social workers, and others. He recently retired as president of the Danish Deaf Association, and he is a board member of Døvefonden, a foundation that raises funds to support the deaf association, organizations for deaf people, and deaf inpiduals. In addition, he is a former president of the European Union of the Deaf, an honorary life member and former secretary general of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf, and finance officer for the World Federation of the Deaf.

Roberto Wirth
An honorary doctor of humane letters degree was also awarded to Roberto Wirth. Wirth epitomizes the idea that deaf people can do anything they set their minds to do. He is the owner and general manager of Hotel Hassler in Rome, Italy, recognized for over a century as one of the prime hotels in Europe.He is active in various organizations that strive to provide opportunities for other deaf people, and assists deaf youth in achieving their career aspirations. He is the founder of the Roberto Wirth Fund Onlus, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the support of deaf and deaf-blind children and their families. A role model for other deaf people, Wirth has increased public awareness of deaf people’s abilities through his success in the hospitality business. Wirth served for a number of years on advisory boards at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and at Gallaudet. He is a strong supporter of Italian students who attend Gallaudet.