Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space, will give the commencement speech on May 12 to the Creighton Class of 2018.

Jemison has degrees in engineering and medicine. Before joining NASA, she spent time as a medical officer in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone and Liberia. In 1992, she became the first African-American woman in space, making 126 orbits around Earth on the space shuttle Endeavor. Jemison is also an educator and an entrepreneur.

A team of Creighton community members begins the selection process for the commencement speaker each year in the fall. René Padilla,  vice provost for Global Engagement, was involved in the selection of Jemison to be the commencement speaker.

 “We make selections considering the entire audience,” Padilla said. 

While the graduates are the most important audience, the team also must consider the families, friends, faculty, other students and community at large when picking a speaker, he said. 

Padilla said that an important quality in a speaker is that the speaker represent Creighton’s mission.

He said that as the Creighton 150 Strategic Plan: Lighting the Way has unfolded, that mission is to emphasize the integration of science and humanities “as essential to human flourishing.” 

“Dr. Mae Jemison came to mind after we watched a TedTalk on that precise topic,” Padilla said, adding that, she “is someone with a global perspective and involvement. 

“Upon researching her background, it was clear that she certainly represented our vision and hope for our graduates,” Padilla said. 

Each year the process begins with an informal list of possible candidates for the speaker, which is then narrowed down after a team in the Global Engagement Office talks with the Creighton community and looks at cost and availability. Once a final decision and agreement with the speaker is made, Creighton Presdient the Rev. Daniel Hendrickson, S.J., makes an announcement to the Creighton community.

Padilla also said that they do not discard the list of candidates each year. The list remains active and growing as more candidates come to mind for the following year.

“It is very rewarding to be thinking about inviting people whose lives are inspirational.” Padilla said. “And we are already working on the 2019 choice.”