Bristol, RI, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Roger Williams University announces that groundbreaking sailor Cole Brauer, who made history last year as the first American woman to race solo nonstop around the world in the Global Solo Challenge, will address the Class of 2025 and receive an honorary degree at the RWU Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 16.
This year’s RWU Commencement exercises will celebrate a trailblazing woman in the sport sailing world – as RWU’s nationally top-ranked Sailing team head into the national finals as the reigning champions of the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) Open Team Race championship and currently rank No. 1 in the U.S. for Coed Team Racing – as well as leaders in the blue economy, law enforcement, and law as the university’s distinguished recipients of honorary degrees.
In the Global Solo Challenge, Brauer sailed 30,000 miles and navigated over 130 days alone at sea in one of the world’s most extreme sporting events. The 30-year-old professional sailor from Long Island, N.Y., was the only woman in the fleet of 16 sailors who competed in the race. She raced in her 40-foot sailboat, First Light, past Africa, Australia, and South America, prevailing over tumultuous weather, freezing water, a rib injury, and dehydration, to finish in second place in Spain on March 7, 2024.
Brauer will share her story of resilience, courage, and pursuit of excellence as a professional sailor and as a member of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s varsity sailing team and a two-time ICSA Academic All-American Team member, with the RWU Class of 2025 at the main Commencement ceremony.
“Cole’s story exemplifies the strength of human ambition and the ability to push beyond limits, aligning with our university’s commitment to empowering individuals who make a meaningful impact on the world,” said Heather N. Boujoulian, Board Chair and Acting President of Roger Williams University. “The powerful trailblazers we are celebrating at our Commencement ceremony will serve as an inspiration to our Class of 2025 as they graduate prepared to become the leaders and changemakers the world needs next.”
At the Commencement ceremony, RWU will also present honorary degrees to two local leaders and members of the RWU community. Joseph M. Brito Jr., President and CEO of C.B. Utility Co., Inc., C. Brito Construction Co., Tupelo Realty, and Unity Park, and RWU Trustee Emeritus, has transformed an abandoned mill in Bristol, R.I. into Unity Park, an approximately 400,000-square-foot industrial complex for blue economy manufacturing, offices, restaurants, a brewery and a distillery. Kevin M. Lynch, Chief of Police in Bristol, R.I., has championed the advancement of bias training, school-safety initiatives, and numerous community programs, earning his department state and national accreditation, as well as Rhode Island’s first mandatory body-worn camera legislation and ethical law enforcement reform through the Law Enforcement Officers’ Due Process, Accountability, and Transparency Act; he earned his B.S. in Criminal Justice and M.S. in Justice Studies at RWU.
The RWU School of Law will present an honorary degree to the Honorable Clifton B. Newman, retired judge from the South Carolina Circuit Court, who has held a distinguished career as a private practice attorney and solicitor prior to serving on the bench, where he presided over several high-profile capital cases. Judge Newman will serve as the keynote speaker at the School of Law ceremony, which will begin at 11:30 a.m.
This year’s Commencement ceremony recognizes these trailblazers who are making a collective impact across the globe. With leadership in the blue economy and marine science, law and justice, designed and built environments, and the humanities, Roger Williams University provides students with a real-world education and powerful combinations of academic, research, career-training and international learning experiences that prepare them to shape the world as leaders and changemakers.
COMMENCEMENT DATE: The university-wide Commencement celebration for undergraduate, graduate and law students of the Class of 2025 will be held on Friday, May 16. The university ceremony will take place on the main athletic field. The processional steps off at 8:30 a.m. with the ceremony beginning at 9 a.m. Individual school ceremonies will follow throughout the day.
ATTACHED PHOTOS: Cole Brauer, the Honorable Clifton B. Newman, Bristol Police Chief Kevin M. Lynch, and Joseph M. Brito Jr.
PHOTO CAPTION: Cole Brauer, the first American woman to race solo nonstop around the world in the Global Solo Challenge, will deliver the Commencement address and receive an honorary degree at the RWU Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 16.
About RWU: Roger Williams University is a comprehensive university with a liberal arts core and professional programs, with campuses on the coast of Bristol and in the state capital of Providence, Rhode Island. Across eight schools of study, we provide real-world learning focused on social and environmental justice, small classes, and direct access to faculty and staff. Our students create powerful combinations of degrees, credentials, research and internship opportunities, study-abroad programs, and involvement in clubs, student organizations, and athletics. Our Northeast location facilitates a strategic network between New York and Boston for community-engaged research and career opportunities for our students and alumni. Graduating with a unique skill set and the passion to make an impact in their careers, our students become the changemakers and leaders our world needs next.
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Kelly Brinza Roger Williams University kbrinza@rwu.edu
