Before winning Olympic gold this February, Knight ’07 (second from left) honed her game in Remsen Arena.
Each year, the entirety of the Choate community gathers at Commencement to wish the seniors well as they leave Choate, and each year, Choate brings in a Commencement speaker to inspire the graduating class in their future endeavors. On April 24, the Administration announced that Hilary Knight ’07 would be the 2018 Commencement speaker. Ms. Knight, who is a member of the United States Women’s National Ice Hockey Team and played on the national team while at Choate, is a three-time Olympic medalist and a seven-time IIHF World Champion. Ms. Knight was a critical and powerful voice in the U.S. Women’s National Hockey Team’s fight for equal pay in 2017, and she continues to advocate for women’s and LGBTQ rights.
Ms. Knight provides a unique perspective for a commencement speaker, as she is a Choate graduate. As a female professional athlete, her story is inspiring and will undoubtedly encourage the Class of 2018. “I’m really excited. I think she’s a really good choice, and I think that it is also pretty helpful that she is a pretty recent Choate alum, so we will be able to relate to her a lot,” Sophie Mackin ’18 said. “We often don’t see Choate alums, especially females, go on to do professional sports. It is an amazing thing that Choate got her to do this,” said Serena Levin ’20.
Past commencement speakers include former NFL player and talk show host Mr. Michael Strahan in 2016 and former NASA astronaut Dr. Catherine “Cady” Coleman last year. This year, rumors that singer Khalid would be speaking spread throughout the student body; it was also heard that a member of the band Nickelback would be the Commencement speaker. Given the star-studded history of recent speakers, it is not hard to believe many rumors like these, but these rumors were squashed with the announcement of Hilary Knight’s selection. Despite this, some students still would have liked to see someone else.
“Honestly, I have no strong thoughts on Hilary Knight, other than the fact that I feel like her commencement speech would just be about more generic stuff,” added Sonali Singh ’20. “I love Khalid, so if he had come to commencement as the speaker, I think it would have resonated with more people. A teenage example of success is more inspiring and relatable than an Olympian who recently won something.”
Other students had a more excited outlook on the decision. “Personally, I think that she will be an interesting and engaging speaker for me because she did do very good things in terms of standing up for hockey and equal pay. I have heard that some people have mixed feelings because they feel as though she is just an athlete and is not qualified to give a speech. I personally don’t feel that way,” explained Stewart Egan ’18.
Ms. Knight’s work as a notable advocate for women in sports and the LGBTQ community makes her a very appealing speaker for many students. “She is super interesting. She does a lot of great work with women’s rights in sports, like when the women’s hockey team protested for fair pay,” said Grace Lawrie ’19. “From people that have met her and know her, they all say that she is a super great person.” Egan added, “She is also a huge LGBTQ advocate as well, and also advocates for body image in terms of muscle and women’s figures.”
Although some members of the Choate community questioned Ms. Knight’s qualifications, other students felt differently. “I feel like the only reason that someone would say she isn’t qualified is because she is a woman. For example, when we had Michael Strahan come speak, he was definitely mostly a football player with a good face. Would someone who is ‘just an athlete’ really fight that hard for equal pay?” explained Gabby Henry ’18. “Especially because she went to Choate — imagine all of the perspectives that she will be able to bring. She will be able to put in anecdotes about her experience here, and how she was on the national team while she went here. She is relatable and an amazing athlete.”
Overall, it is hoped that Ms. Knight will provide an insightful and inspiring message to the Choate Class of 2018. “She will understand how it feels to be like us, sitting in the audience, because she went to Choate,” added Sarah Bonnem ’19. Egan concluded, “I think she is going to provide a sentimental way to connect to us and will also be an inspiration in terms of her accomplishments.”
