Trinity College alumna Nicole Hockley ’92, co-founder and CEO of Sandy Hook Promise, will be the College’s 2023 Commencement speaker on Sunday, May 21.
Hockley chose to transform unspeakable grief and anguish into action after her youngest son, Dylan, was murdered in his first-grade classroom during the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy on December 14, 2012. Hockley now works every day to protect children from gun and school violence.
Sandy Hook Promise is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and empowering youth and adults to prevent violence in schools, homes, and communities. Under Hockley’s leadership, the research-driven Know The Signs violence prevention programs were created and are now available to schools at no cost. More than 18.5 million young people have participated in these life-saving programs in more than 24,000 schools and youth organizations nationwide.
Hockley is a leading voice on school safety and gun violence prevention, rising above the political divide over gun control, focusing instead on helping young people get the help they need. She shares expertise on recognizing the warning signs of someone who may be in crisis or at risk of harming themselves or others, and how to safely intervene. She has presented several TEDx Talks, her opinion editorials have been published by Newsweek, CNN, USA Today, and InStyle, and her commentary has been featured in CNN, MSNBC, Newsy, ABC, CBS, and NBC news coverage, among countless other media outlets.
Driven by Hockley’s extensive background in strategic marketing and communications for companies in the United States and the United Kingdom, Sandy Hook Promise is rapidly becoming a household name. The award-winning public service announcement campaigns Hockley helped co-create with BBDO New York have amassed hundreds of millions of views worldwide, including “Evan,” which generated two billion impressions and 10 coveted Cannes Lions Awards, and “Back-to-School Essentials,” which earned a prestigious Emmy Award for Best Commercial of 2019.
Hockley received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Fairfield University in 2022 and was recognized in 2016 by People magazine as one of 25 Women Changing the World. For her work, she was honored by Trinity with its 2017 Alumni Achievement Award.
Trinity College President Joanne Berger-Sweeney told the Class of 2023 graduates, “I know Nicole is excited to join you for your Commencement. We look forward to celebrating you and this momentous occasion in your life. Your experience at Trinity has prepared you to be a bold, engaged global citizen ready to reach your full potential, and the legacy you leave behind will help shape Trinity for years to come.”
Trinity also announced that this year’s Baccalaureate speaker will be Sidnie White Crawford ’81, an internationally recognized scholar, author, and educator whose credentials in biblical theology and archeology have led to groundbreaking discoveries in human history.
The Baccalaureate ceremony will be held in the Trinity College Chapel at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 20, and the Commencement ceremony begins at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 21, on the Main Quad.
Get more information about Commencement Weekend, including a full schedule, here.
