February 09, 2023
Linda Blaser
History-making soccer legend Julianne Sitch named Commencement speaker
History-making soccer legend Julianne Sitch, the first woman in NCAA history to lead a men’s team to a national championship, will deliver the 2023 Commencement address during the ceremony on Saturday, May 13.
The College will also bestow an honorary degree on award-winning novelist Rebecca Makkai whose last novel, The Great Believers, was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award; it was the winner of the ALA Carnegie Medal, the Stonewall Book Award, the Clark Prize, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; and it was one of The New York Times’ Ten Best Books of 2018.
The third honorary degree recipient at this year’s Commencement ceremony is William Sullivan Peyton—the College’s first Black graduate. Peyton graduated from the College in 1907 with a degree in chemistry. Research by K. & H. Montgomery Assistant Professor of History and African American Studies Courtney Pierre Joseph and her Richter Scholar students inspired the decision to award this important accolade.
To learn more about the honorands and Commencement, go to the Commencement webpage.
Related Links:
- Learn more about the honorands
- Watch Finding William Peyton: Early Black Presence at Lake Forest College
- Check out all Commencement details