Gabriel Felder Chosen as 2014 Commencement Student Speaker

The Jewish Student Association president will share a message of gratitude on the National Mall on May 18.

April 7, 2014

Commencement Speaker 2014 Gabriel Felder

George Washington University senior Gabriel Felder will represent the class of 2014 at the university's Commencement next month.

By Brittney Dunkins

George Washington University senior Gabriel Felder was chosen as the 2014 Commencement student speaker by a panel of students, faculty and staff on Friday.

He faced stiff competition for the honor of addressing friends, family, classmates and faculty on the National Mall during the May 18 ceremony, but took the top spot with an optimistic speech with a universal message: gratitude.

“Commencement is a moment to take a step back and really think about all of the people who helped you get to this point,” Mr. Felder said. “It’s about moving on but also taking stock of your life.”

Mr. Felder, a political communication major in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences' School of Media and Public Affairs, was among the 10 finalists representing five schools who were selected from a pool of 60 applicants.

 The final candidates delivered their speeches in front of a panel of judges at the Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library on Friday. They were assessed based on content, delivery, student and guest appeal and their ability to inspire others.

Finalists included undergraduates Daniel Ceisler, Asianna Joyce, Katherine Kremer, Todd Morrill, Matthew Scott and Ikechukwu Umez-Eronini, as well as graduate students Alyssa Abraham, Andrew Lewis and Charisma Williams.

Students reflected on their personal triumphs, the service and leadership that define the GW student body and the call to action exemplified in alumni such as former Secretary of State Colin Powell, M.B.A. '71, and university namesake George Washington.

“We wanted to choose the student who would best represent GW and the student body and appeal to both the general public and the students,” said judge Adrienne B. Hancock, an assistant professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science.

“Gabriel had great energy and attitude, and his speech had a very good balance of heart and humor,” Dr. Hancock said.

Mr. Felder captured the bittersweet nature of graduating from college in his speech, beginning with the first moment he decided to become a GW student during a conversation over ice cream with his father following Colonial Inauguration in 2010.

The moment became even more poignant following his father’s death later that summer.

“My family is so important to me, and they are where I draw my inspiration from,” Mr. Felder said. “My time at GW is so inspired by that moment. I knew I had to use it as a springboard for the rest of my speech.” 

The Stamford, Conn., native will pursue his passion for education and community building as a member of Teach for America in New York this fall, but first he will join 2014 Commencement speaker José Andrés on stage on May 18.

Social justice advocate and retired Greater Washington Urban League executive Maudine Cooper and W. Russell Ramsey, B.B.A. ’81, chair emeritus of the GW Board of Trustees and founder, chairman and CEO of Ramsey Asset Management, have been named honorary degree recipients.

“This is an amazing opportunity,” Mr. Felder said. “I always knew I wanted to share my story, and I hope that my speech can give everyone a feeling of amazement about all of the people who were involved in getting us to this moment.”

Commencement celebrations will begin on Tuesday, May 13, and culminate in a university-wide celebration on May 18.