Let’s rewind to 2016—a summer of soaring dreams and golden glory for U.S. gymnastics. The Final Five had just captivated the world in Rio with their dazzling flips. That year, Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, and Madison Kocian came home with 9 medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics: 4 golds in the team and individual events, 3 silvers, and 2 bronzes. Among them, a 16-year-old Laurie Hernandez burst onto the Olympic stage with a radiant smile, posing in a quirky manner!
Fast forward to 2025, and Laurie isn’t flying across a beam, but she’s still making history. Nearly a decade after her Olympic triumphs, she’s traded in her leotard for a cap and gown, helping a university mark a milestone moment—and once again, inspiring a generation in the process. Before stepping onto the stage, she took to Instagram, holding her prized medals with a familiar sparkle in her eyes. Her caption? “ohh how time flies🥺 2025 / 2016.”
This gymnast, barely 16 years old in 2016, other than winning the team gold in the balance beam final, delivered a routine that got her a score of 15.333, which secured her the silver medal. She finished behind Sanne Wevers of the Netherlands, who scored 15.466, and ahead of teammate Simone Biles, who took bronze with a score of 14.733. But a team gold, a silver, and finishing ahead of the GOAT of the sport isn’t her only achievement. Moving out of sports with her retirement in 2021, she helped a university create history and even sent a message afterwards. Here’s what went down.
“Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez helps N.J. university make history at commencement,” headlined nj.com on May 14, as the Olympian became a part of the first commencement in Kean’s history, recognizing undergraduate and graduate students at the same ceremony. While taking her honorary degree, the Olympic gold medalist had a message for the class of 2025 at NJ University. She said, “Give me a year and I’ll be where all of you are today.” It is also a rare feat for her because she spoke at one university’s commencement while still enrolled as a student at a different school.
The 24-year-old, born in New Brunswick and brought up in Old Bridge, is finishing her junior year at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she is pursuing a degree in drama. She is also a UNICEF USA Ambassador, joining a distinguished group of advocates, including Sofia Carson, Selena Gomez, and Lucy Liu. In this role, she has been a vocal advocate for children’s rights and mental health. While she recreated the Olympic pose by biting the Kean Medal and giving a wink, she also said, “Transitioning from an athlete to a student was daunting,”.
Hernandez retired from gymnastics at age 21, two years after she was named to the New Jersey Hall of Fame at age 19, making her its youngest inductee. Citing injuries and a shift in focus toward her education and mental health, she stepped away from the sport to pursue new passions beyond the mat. Speaking for 19 minutes in her speech, she recalled her favorite Olympics memory, and no, it wasn’t winning a medal. Rather, it was a regular post-practice afternoon, when she, alongside Simone Biles and Aly Raisman, were “taking our hair scrunchies and sling-shotting them off the balcony,” just for fun.
“When I think about the Olympics. I don’t just think about winning. I think about the stress, the time, the injuries it took to get there, and I think about laughing hard with my friends,” Hernandez said. She told the class of 2025 at Kean that they would have memories from not liking certain classes, to the “weird memes” in group chats, and eating cold takeout food while rushing to finish an assignment. Her last words, perhaps, are amongst the most important ones to come from a gymnast.
Words that could be made into a poster and stuck around for the pure emotion and message they carry. She said, “In the midst of your success, you will remember the laughter, and that will be your favorite part.” Other than gold, she now shares one more achievement with Simone Biles.
The message by Dr. Simone Biles. On May 14, Washington University in St. Louis conferred an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree upon Simone Biles during its 164th commencement ceremony. This prestigious recognition was awarded not only for her unparalleled achievements in gymnastics but also for her advocacy in mental health, resilience, and her commitment to social causes. Despite the rain, the crowd of students, faculty, and families gathered in their caps and gowns to hear Biles speak.
“The world doesn’t need you to be perfect,” Biles told the graduates. “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 you can tell.” Sharing personal insights about sacrifice and the pressure of high-level competition, she told the undergraduates to stay grounded and take a deep breath when they need it.
