UB Welcomes Humanitarian Carl Wilkens as 2026 Commencement Speaker

Humanitarian, Author Carl Wilkens to Speak at University of Bridgeport Commencement

University of Bridgeport (UB) will welcome humanitarian, author, and speaker Carl Wilkens as the keynote speaker for its 2026 Commencement ceremonies, to be held on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Wilkens will also receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in honor of his extraordinary humanitarian leadership.

Wilkens is widely known for his courageous actions during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. He was the only American who chose to remain in the city of Kigali, working to support vulnerable children and families amid widespread violence. Each day, he navigated roadblocks and armed checkpoints to bring food, water, and medicine to groups of orphans stranded in the city. Working alongside Rwandan colleagues, he helped save the lives of hundreds of people.

In the years since, Wilkens has shared his experiences with audiences around the world, from universities and high schools to the United Nations and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, exploring how stories of profound loss and resilience can open conversations about what it means to learn to live together. He is the author of “I’m Not Leaving,” published in 2011, and the subject of a documentary of the same title. His work has been featured in the New York Times and on PBS Frontline. He has received the Medal of Valor from the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Dignitas Humana Award from St. John’s School of Theology.

The undergraduate ceremony will begin at 10 a.m., followed by the graduate ceremony at 3 p.m. Across both ceremonies, UB will confer more than 1,400 degrees, honoring graduates from a wide range of disciplines.

For more information about UB’s commencement ceremonies, visit bridgeport.edu/commencement.