Speakers and Awardees
Speakers and Awardees
Jen Psaki
Keynote Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipient
Jen Psaki is host of MSNBC's "Inside with Jen Psaki" on Sundays and Mondays, and the former White House Press Secretary for President Joe Biden.
Psaki appears across all of MSNBC’s flagship programs, adding a unique perspective from her firsthand experience at the highest levels of government. She is a principal voice in the network’s primetime coverage of major political events and regularly contributes to NBC News, "Meet the Press" and election night programming. She also writes a regular column for the network’s morning newsletter, MSNBC Daily, and contributes to all MSNBC platforms across audio, social and more.
As press secretary, Psaki was lauded by the Associated Press as a communicator who "dug deep into policy, seeking an understanding that goes far beyond talking points" and was celebrated for bringing "a mixture of warmth, humor, intelligence, and edge" to her role by Vogue.
Prior to her time in the Biden White House, Psaki was a long-time advisor to President Barack Obama and served as a traveling press secretary on his first long-shot campaign and later served as the White House communications director.
Psaki also served as the administration’s public face on the global stage during her tenure as the State Department spokesperson, traveling the world with Secretary of State John Kerry.
Yahya Aliyu, B.S. '23, M.S. '24
Student Speaker
Yahya Aliyu is a master’s candidate in biomedical engineering part of GW five-year BS/MS program. At GW, he co-founded a nonprofit dedicated to promoting student grassroots entrepreneurship, coached men’s club soccer, achieved success at venture competitions and attended the Summer Venture in Management Program at Harvard Business School.
In his past, he oversaw technical operations for a medical practice/consultancy and interned at the White House under the Office of the Chief Statistician of the United States. Concurrent with his work in Deloitte Consulting’s health practice, Aliyu manages financial operations for a nonprofit based in Nigeria and serves as a GW Upstart commissioner, reviewing and recommending grants for the allocation of up to $75,000 in funding for student-led social innovation service projects. Aliyu’s career intent is to improve access to qualitative and humane care, optimize health care delivery and help tackle global health conundrums. Read more about Yahya Aliyu in GW Today.
Honorary Degrees
Nominations of candidates for honorary degrees are received throughout the year by the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. Students, faculty, administrators, deans, alumni and members of the general public may nominate individuals for honorary degrees.
Learn More About the Honorary Degree Process and Criteria