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Sonia Shah to address Oberlin College commencement
She will deliver the address on May 26.
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Bhavana P1 - Thu, 17, Apr 2025
- 15:00 EDT
- 176
Sonia Shah / Oberlin College
Oberlin College and Conservatory has announced that Sonia Shah, an Indian-American science journalist and acclaimed author, will deliver the 2025 Commencement address
An Oberlin alumna from the Class of 1990, Shah will also be awarded an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree during the ceremony.
Also read: Santa Clara University awards honorary degree to Jayshree Ullal
Shah is known for her investigative reporting and bestselling books that explore the intersections of science, society, and human behavior. Her work often challenges conventional thinking—debunking myths around pandemics, migration, and environmental issues. Her books, including The Fever, Pandemic, and The Next Great Migration, have received widespread critical acclaim and numerous award nominations. Her 2004 book Crude: The Story of Oil remains especially relevant amid today’s ongoing climate crisis.
President Carmen Twillie Ambar called Shah’s upcoming address both timely and inspiring. “Given that so many Oberlin students and alums are committed to sustainability and environmental justice, Sonia’s insights and wisdom are a powerful and timely addition to this year’s commencement ceremony,” Twillie said.
Shah has written for The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, and The Nation, and has lectured widely at institutions including MIT, Yale, and Harvard. A 2024 Guggenheim Fellow, she also delivered a popular TED Talk titled “3 reasons we still haven’t gotten rid of malaria.”
Born in New York City to Indian immigrant parents, Shah spent her youth between the U.S. and India, an experience that deeply shaped her perspective on migration—a recurring theme in her work. At Oberlin, she studied journalism, philosophy, and neuroscience, and served as editor-in-chief of The Oberlin Review. Her son, Kush Bulmer, graduated from Oberlin in 2022.
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