Graduation Speaker Announced

Lauren Ridloff began acting just eight years ago, marking a significant career shift from her previous achievements. Before stepping into the spotlight, she won the title of Miss Deaf America and spent a decade as a kindergarten teacher in Manhattan. After leaving that role to care for her two young children, she was hired in 2016 to tutor director Kenny Leon in American Sign Language as he prepared for the Broadway revival of Children of a Lesser God. After months of collaboration, Kenny and the producers recognized Lauren as the ideal choice for the lead role, which she delivered with resounding success—earning multiple rave reviews from The New York Times and a Tony nomination. She soon became a series regular on the long-running AMC series The Walking Dead and later made history as the first Deaf superhero, starring opposite Angelina Jolie and Kumail Nanjiani in Marvel’s worldwide hit, Eternals. In 2020, Lauren received the SAG-AFTRA Harold Russell Award at the 41st Media Access Awards, and BAFTA named her one of its Breakthrough talents. She went on to star in a series that she also executive produced with Joshua Jackson for Starz.