WNBA superstar and George Washington University basketball legend Jonquel Jones, B.A. \u201919, drew on lessons learned from her childhood in the Bahamas, her record-setting career at Foggy Bottom and her championship run with the New York Liberty to cheer on the Class of 2025 in a lively GW Commencement address Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuccess is rarely simple,\u201d she told the crowd of graduates, alumni, faculty, family and friends gathered on the National Mall. \u201cAnd while it may sound cliche, it really is the journey that makes it all worth it.\u00a0That\u2019s where life happens, where you find out who you are, find people who believe in you and where you will learn lessons that will carry you through your successes and failures.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jones, who pairs her athletic accomplishments with her advocacy work as a role model for young women athletes, encouraged graduates to \u201ctrust your instincts\u201d to guide them through the life decisions and pivotal moments ahead.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour gut doesn\u2019t lie,\u201d she said. Recalling her own choice to come to GW, she shared her resolve \u201cto lean into my gut\u2014reminding me that the voice inside you is not just noise. It\u2019s wisdom.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrust that feeling. Because your instincts, your spirit, your gut\u2014that is where your power lives,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Jones headlined a joyous 2025 Commencement celebration as GW continued its tradition of being the only university to hold graduation ceremonies on the National Mall. The 2024 WNBA Finals MVP and a member of the GW Athletics Hall of Fame, Jones reflected on her youth in the Bahamas, as \u201ca kid with a big dream and no real roadmap.\u201d She credited mentors like her parents, her coaches in the Bahamas and GW Assistant Women\u2019s Basketball Coach Diane Richardson with helping her follow her hoop dreams to the United States.<\/p>\n
After transferring from Clemson, Jones forged a historic career with the Buff and Blue, twice leading GW to the NCAA Tournament and becoming only the third player in school history to score over 1,000 points, grab 800 rebounds and record 100 blocks.<\/p>\n
With her triumphs on the court and her humanitarian work off it making her a household name in professional women\u2019s basketball\u2014while leading the Liberty to a championship she was also\u00a0named\u00a0one of USA Today\u2019s Women of the Year for her impact on communities and culture\u2014Jones highlighted the positive influences in her life. She implored graduates to also \u201csurround yourself with people who see where you want to go and want to help you get there.\u201d Their guidance and encouragement, she added, \u201cwill lift you up, support you in your pursuit of greatness and celebrate your wins.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a vocal advocate for social justice, mental health awareness and LGBTQ+ visibility in sports, Jones reminded graduates that responsibility for civic engagement is a hallmark of their GW education.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means bold ideas that shake up the world, service to others and remembering the community that brought you where you are now,\u201d she said. \u201cIt means stepping into the world not just as professionals, but as people of integrity\u2014people who understand that impact matters more than status, and that lifting others up is one of the greatest forms of leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the same time, Jones urged graduates to balance their hard work with the \u201cpure joy\u201d of life. With references to campus memories like bacon-piled sandwiches at the GW Deli and late-night laughs with classmates in Guthridge Hall, Jones told them to cherish the \u201cquiet in-between moments\u201d that make the grinding hours of practicing and studying worthwhile.<\/p>\n
Joy \u201ccomes in the doing, in the journey along the way. It\u2019s the fuel that keeps you going,\u201d she said. \u201cThe laughter, the friendships, the freedom to just be. Those are not distractions, they are essential\u2026 In those moments of joy, you will find those moments you\u2019ll remember most.\u201d<\/p>\n
Welcome graduates!<\/p>\n
Provost Christopher Alan Bracey opened the ceremony by welcoming graduates and family members and noting\u00a0the contributions of alumni and donors who funded scholarship opportunities. Recalling his yearly Convocation address to incoming classes, he asked the graduating students to remember their own first years at GW and think about how the promises extended to them during their early days on campus\u2014\u201cpursuing truth, building diverse relationships and academic achievement\u201d\u2014had indeed come to pass.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can reflect on the opportunities you embraced, the diverse people you met, the disciplines you mastered and the skills you developed,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have broadened your horizons and set yourself firmly on the path of excellence for whatever you do next.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the same time, Bracey acknowledged the challenges facing society and beseeched graduates not to be \u201ca spectator to the conversations that will determine our collective future\u201d by shying away from controversial issues or rigorous debates.<\/p>\n
\u201cMake your voice heard,\u201d he said, \u201cand when you do, be sure to let the world know that you are a graduate of George Washington University.\u201d<\/p>\n
Board of Trustees Chair Grace Speights, J.D. \u201982, followed Bracey by recognizing the critical role fellow graduates, faculty and family and friends played in supporting the Class of 2025 throughout their GW journey. \u201cWith their guidance and encouragement, you were challenged, learned and grew. You leave our scholarly community wise, capable individuals with new knowledge and skills that have set you on a path of great success,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Board Chair Grace Speights told the graduates: “You leave our scholarly community wise, capable individuals with new knowledge and skills that have set you on a path of great success.\u201d (Florence Shen\/GW Today)<\/p>\n
Speights then introduced GW President Ellen M. Granberg, who continued a Commencement tradition by asking the parents, families and friends of the Class of 2025 to rise to accept congratulations and thanks. After also acknowledging the unwavering dedication and support of GW faculty and staff, Granberg congratulated graduates on their \u201cmany and varied\u201d successes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou all exemplify the very best of the George Washington University,\u201d she said. \u201cAs your degrees are conferred today, I hope you each feel an immense sense of pride and accomplishment. You have earned this!\u201d<\/p>\n
To begin his remarks, Maxwell Gocala-Nguyen, M.A. \u201916, president of the GW Alumni Association, recognized special guests in the audience, including alumni emeriti\u2014those who graduated 50 or more years ago\u2014and several GW\u00a0Monumental Alumni<\/a>. He then welcomed the Class of 2025 to a family of more than 330,000 alumni from around the world. While pointing to the role his fellow GW community members have played in his life, Gocala-Nguyen encouraged graduates to embrace their responsibility as mentors for students who would one day follow in their footsteps across the Commencement stage.<\/p>\n \u201cAs new alumni, you hold a unique perspective in helping to bridge the community to prospective and current students. Your continued engagement allows for those robust discussions\u2026to continue through your perspective, expertise and insight,\u201d he said. \u201cTogether, we can continue to evolve and grow GW\u2019s outreach and impact, all while forging new friendships that may last a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n President Ellen M. Granberg urged the graduates to “go boldly, raise high and show the world what it means to be a GW Revolutionary.\u201d(Joy Asico\/GW Today)<\/p>\n \u201cGood trouble\u201d<\/p>\n Gocala-Nguyen then introduced the Class of 2025 student Commencement speaker,\u00a0Natalia Anzald\u00faa, who earned a doctoral degree in occupational therapy at the\u00a0School of Medicine and Health Sciences<\/a>, part of the program\u2019s first graduating cohort.<\/p>\n Anzald\u00faa, who was born in Monterrey, Mexico, and moved to a small Texas border town at the age of 4, greeted the crowd with a hearty, \u201cBuenos d\u00edas!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, wait. Forgot to code switch,\u201d she joked, before recounting how her youthful \u201ctroublemaker\u201d curiosity frequently landed her in the principal\u2019s office\u2014and also empowered her ambition to work with the disability community. \u201cGW was the first place where my troublemaking tendencies were seen as advocacy efforts,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Commencement student speaker Natalia Anzald\u00faa said GW “always encouraged me to keep asking \u2018why?” (Florence Shen\/GW Today)<\/p>\n A first-generation student in the United States,\u00a0Anzald\u00faa said GW fostered her intellectual curiosity and \u201calways encouraged me to keep asking \u2018why?\u2019\u201d She described her efforts to develop the first ever Accessibility Hour at the White House Easter Egg Roll. Leaving the White House,\u00a0Anzald\u00faa\u00a0called her grandmother\u2014who waved to her from the Commencement crowd\u2014and cried on the phone for a dream she never imagined would come true. Now, upon graduation, she said, she was living another dream\u2014proudly becoming one of less than 5% of Latino occupational therapists and 1% of Latina women holding a doctorate degree.<\/p>\n Quoting modern civil rights legend John Lewis\u2019 summons to \u201cGet in good trouble,\u201d\u00a0Anzald\u00faa praised a GW community that \u201copened doors and opportunities for me.”<\/p>\n \u201cAnd now? I\u2019m trouble walking through the door,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Honorary degrees<\/p>\n Granberg then returned to the podium to confer honorary degrees.<\/p>\n The first degree was bestowed to Mark D. Lerner, B.B.A. \u201975, the managing principal owner and vice chair of the Washington Nationals Major League Baseball team and a principal of Lerner Enterprises, among the largest private real estate development firms in the Washington area.<\/p>\n Granberg praised Lerner, one of GW\u2019s Monumental Alumni<\/a>, for building \u201ca legacy of professional achievement, leadership and philanthropy that has left an indelible mark on the Washington, D.C., region.\u201d In addition to uniting the city around the 2019 World Series championship, she recognized Lerner\u2019s contributions to transforming the region\u2019s urban and suburban landscapes while maintaining innovation, sustainability and quality standards.<\/p>\n She also highlighted his philanthropic leadership and noted that Lerner has remained engaged with the university community, serving on the board of directors of GW Hillel and supporting numerous university initiatives.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Lerner\u2019s lifelong commitment to his alma mater and the Washington region stands as a testament to his vision, generosity and sustained impact,\u201d Granberg said.<\/p>\n Mark R. Shenkman received an honorary degree at Commencement. (Florence Shen\/GW Today)<\/p>\n Eleanor Holmes Norton (center) receives congratulations from Provost Christopher Alan Bracey (r) upon receiving an honorary degree. (Joy Asico\/GW Today)<\/p>\n Mark D. Lerner also received an honorary degree during Commencement on the National Mall. (Florence Shen\/GW Today)<\/p>\n