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 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.”

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 into Unity Park, an industrial complex for blue economy manufacturing, offices, restaurants, a brewery and a distillery.

Kevin M. Lynch, Chief of Police, 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.