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Robert Hodierne ’68, Doctor of Humane Letters

Robert Hodierne began his 60-year journalism career by leaving 91���� after his junior year in to work as a freelance photographer in Vietnam. After a year, he returned to 91����, graduated with a degree in political science, and then joined the U.S. Army. He ended up back in Vietnam with Pacific Stars & Stripes, an unofficial Defense Department newspaper. In the two years that Hodierne spent photographing the Vietnam War, his photos appeared in newspapers and magazines around the world.

He then worked as a reporter or editor for newspapers, magazines, wire services, radio, and television. He was part of a team at the Charlotte Observer that won a Pulitzer Prize for journalism in 1981, for a series about brown lung disease, an occupational illness that afflicts textile workers. He was an associate professor of journalism at the University of Richmond for 13 years, before he retired in 2021.

JoEllen Maly Hoth ’62, MD, Doctor of Science

When JoEllen Maly Hoth started medical studies at the University of Iowa after her junior year at 91����, she was one of 10 women in her 120-member medical school class. In 1969, Hoth started a medical clinic practice in Burlington, Iowa. She didn’t close that practice until 2019.

In addition, she served for 20 years on the health system’s board of directors. She also held a term as medical staff chief and became the medical director for Great River Hospice when she was 70. In recognition of her service, Hoth received Great River Health’s Excellence in Physician Practice Award in 2010. In 2013, she was named the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois Woman of Distinction.

Jasmine Gilstrap Hunter, Doctor of Social Studies

Jasmine Gilstrap Hunter is the executive director of Lion’s Pride Mentoring, an organization that provides peer mentoring, leadership skills, and career readiness for high school students. She is passionate about empowering students, particularly those from underserved communities; she focuses on helping them overcome challenges through mentorship and development.

After her own college graduation, she worked with Citizen Schools Illinois and as a math instructor at Baker College Prep, where she fostered a growth mindset in her students. In 2017, she co-founded the Lion’s Pride Peer Mentoring program, which she expanded into a nonprofit in 2019. Today, under her leadership, the organization empowers students to become mentors, creating a cycle of growth and community-driven success.

Isabel Alexis Wilkerson, Doctor of Humane Letters

Isabel Alexis Wilkerson is a celebrated author, Pulitzer Prize winner, National Humanities Medal recipient, and a leading voice in narrative nonfiction. She won the Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing in 1994, as Chicago bureau chief of The New York Times, making her the first African American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize in journalism. She also was named a 1994 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in National Reporting.

She is known for her compelling interpretation of the human condition and is respected for her impassioned voice that demonstrates how history can help us understand ourselves, our country, and our current events. Through her writing and lectures, she brings the stories of previously invisible and marginalized people into America’s narrative and into the hearts of her audience and explores the need to reconcile the actions of previous generations of Americans with the ideals of America’s national identity and the reality of lived experiences.

The 2025 Commencement Ceremony

The Commencement Ceremony for the class of 2025 will take place beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 19. The ceremony marks the culmination of many years of hard work, dedication, and academic achievement by the graduates who will be receiving their bachelor’s degrees.

The ceremony will be available via livestream to allow all to join in the celebration of the graduates’ accomplishments. Learn more about Commencement and the week’s activities.