She’s already known as the GOAT in gymnastics. Now, seven-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles can add two more letters to her resume: Dr. Washington University in St. Louis gave the 28-year-old athlete an honorary degree in humane letters this week. “It’s Dr. Biles to you,” she joked on an Instagram post that included photos of herself in a WashU cap and gown while holding her new diploma. “But in all seriousness, thank you @washu for allowing me to do the commencement speech! Congrats to all the Graduates. Truly inspiring! Good luck with all your future endeavors!!”
She began a 12-minute commencement speech on Monday by telling graduates she was a little nervous and would “probably feel more comfortable if they had allowed me to vault onto the stage or do a little floor routine.” She advised the class of 2025 on how to become the “greatest you of all time.” “In today’s dynamic world, things move quickly and there tends to be this urgency for what’s next rather than living in the moment,” she said. “In the days and months ahead, you guys might feel like you’re floating around for a bit without the demands of school to keep you grounded.
And that’s OK. Let it be, and just take some time for you. Because really, all you guys have to do is be you. “You don’t have to be the greatest engineer, the greatest lawyer, the greatest entrepreneur or the greatest social worker. You just need to be the greatest you that you can be — the greatest you of all time.” Biles brought a spotlight to the issue of mental health among athletes when she withdrew from the women’s team final and all but one individuals final at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
She introduced the general public to a gymnastics term — the “twisties,” a dangerous disconnect between brain and body that causes gymnasts to lose orientation in the air. Talking about taking a break for her mental health, she told Olympics.com that “in the beginning, I think the hardest part is logging on to my therapy sessions and convincing myself to go. But as soon as I see my therapist and we start talking, it’s like I’m yapping the whole time. I’m so grateful for that.” Biles cautioned the grads in St. Louis to not compare themselves to other people.
“To be an elite student or an elite athlete or an elite anything, you have to be … the kind of person who is fueled by their own passion,” she said. “All I ever wanted was to be the greatest Simone that I could be. My goal was to be the greatest Simone Biles of all time.” “The world doesn’t need you to be perfect,” she told them. “It needs you to be bold. It needs you to care and to keep going even when things don’t go as planned. So go out there and write your own story.
Only one that you can tell.” Her Instagram post earned nearly 900,000 likes, but some commenters said they didn’t like the tradition of giving celebs honorary degrees, typically given when a high-profile person gives a commencement speech. The degrees have no academic meaning but recognize the recipient’s contributions to the world. Meryl Streep, Celine Dion, Tom Hanks, Jon Bon Jovi, Denzel Washington, Oprah Winfrey, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift are just a handful of celebrities who have honorary degrees. But Biles’ diploma lit up the negative comments for some reason. “I so DISLIKE honorary degrees,” wrote one commenter on her Instagram post.
“As long as I’ve been working on mine & money spent over the years and for someone who is ‘famous’ an/or ‘celebrity’ status come along and speak at a graduation and is NOW DR…..?!! It’s sooooo disrespectful. People should stop accepting it out of respect for others who put in the work & money into it.” Another griped: “Please do not assign yourself a title that the rest of us worked years to earn. I don’t call myself an Olympic gymnast, you are not Dr. Biles.” “Wow, some of you PhDs are so touchy,” a Biles fan responded to critics.
“Honorary PhDs are symbolic awards, given to to people who have made exceptional contributions and/or achievements in their fields of expertise. “In addition, the Honorary PhD is bestowed on people who not only have contributed to their field of expertise, but have made a lasting impact in their area of expertise, and have, additionally demonstrated good character. “@simonebiles, you are an American TREASURE; a role model for young athletes, and young men and women everywhere.” “Lighten up! She’s not pretending to be a PhD,” another fan wrote. “It’s clear from what she said. It wasn’t that deep people. Sheesh.”
