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- Mary Bonauto<\/strong>, the pioneering civil rights attorney whose landmark advocacy helped establish marriage equality in the U.S., will receive a Doctor of Laws degree. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Stanley Nelson<\/strong>, an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work amplifies untold histories and who mentors emerging filmmakers of color, will receive a Doctor of Fine Arts degree.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Deval Patrick<\/strong>, former governor of Massachusetts and a champion of public leadership and civic engagement, will receive a Doctor of Laws degree.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis year\u2019s honorary degree recipients embody the Bates values of leadership, creativity, resilience, and purpose,\u201d said President Garry W. Jenkins. \u201cFrom expanding civil rights and redefining character development to telling our stories and advancing the public good, these individuals have shaped the world in ways that should resonate deeply with our graduates and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 159th Commencement ceremony begins on Sunday, May 25, at 10 a.m. on the Historic Quad, with a livestream available on the Bates College website and social media platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2025\/04\/Bates-2025-honorands-group-900x600.webp\")
From left, Mary Bonauto, Angela Duckworth, Stanley Nelson, and Deval Patrick.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Mary Bonauto<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
The architect of legal strategies that advance equality, Mary Bonauto is a trailblazer in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. In 2015, she successfully argued Obergefell v. Hodges<\/em> before the U.S. Supreme Court, which struck down state bans on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional, and in 2003 led the way to legal victory in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health<\/em>, which made Massachusetts the first state to legalize same-sex marriage.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Mary](\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2025\/04\/8x10-Mary-L.-Bonauto-Headshot.webp\")
<\/a>Mary Bonauto, the pioneering civil rights attorney whose landmark advocacy helped establish marriage equality in the U.S., will receive a Doctor of Laws degree at the Bates College Commencement on Sunday, May 25, 2025. (Photograph courtesy of Mary Bonauto)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n Bonauto is senior director of civil rights and legal strategies at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law). A 2014 MacArthur Fellow, Bonauto was recognized for her work to ensure \u201cequal treatment and dignity for all people\u201d and for \u201cinfluencing debates about the relationship between the law and momentous social change.\u201d In January 2025, President Joe Biden awarded her the Presidential Citizens Medal, one of the nation\u2019s highest civilian honors, for her contributions to democracy and justice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A longtime resident of Maine, Bonauto began her legal career in the Pine Tree State in 1987 during the height of the AIDS epidemic, establishing a pro bono practice to include discrimination issues and gaps in the law as to LGBTQ people and families. Thirty years ago this spring, she took a leading role in fighting a statewide referendum in Maine that sought to bar legal protections for LGBTQ+ individuals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bonauto graduated from Hamilton College, majoring in history and comparative literature with membership in Phi Beta Kappa, and earned a law degree from Northeastern University School of Law. Her profound influence in the fight for equality led former Massachusetts congressman Barney Frank to describe her as \u201cthe LGBT community\u2019s equivalent of Thurgood Marshall.\u201d Bonauto deflects acclaim, saying, \u201cThis movement has involved so many people for so many decades that I feel a completely inadequate stand-in for all of those millions of people, for all they have done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Angela Duckworth<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
A leading voice in the study of human behavior, Angela Duckworth has revolutionized our understanding of resilience and success. Her research has also advanced insights into how people make choices in real-world contexts, from education to public health. <\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Angela](\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/files\/2025\/04\/8x10-2-Angela-Duckworth-Photo.webp\")
<\/a>Angela Duckworth, a professor of psychology and the author of Grit<\/em>: The Power of Passion and Perseverance<\/em>, will deliver the address and receive a Doctor of Humane Letters degree at the Bates College Commencement on Sunday, May 25, 2025. (Photograph courtesy of Angela Duckworth)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n Using research data from West Point cadets, National Spelling Bee finalists, novice teachers, sales professionals, entrepreneurs, and other high-achieving individuals, Duckworth published Grit<\/em>: The Power of Passion and Perseverance<\/em> in 2016. A cultural phenomenon and No. 1 international bestseller, the book has shaped the way educators, business leaders, and individuals approach personal growth. With more than 35 million views, her TED Talk on grit is one of the most viewed of all time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Duckworth is the Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is also the faculty co-director of the Penn-Wharton Behavior Change for Good Initiative and Wharton People Analytics. She has advised the World Bank, NBA and NFL teams, and Fortune 500 CEOs, served as a McKinsey management consultant, and co-founded Character Lab, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing scientific insights that help children thrive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A former math and science teacher at public schools in New York City, San Francisco, and Philadelphia, Duckworth is a 2013 MacArthur Fellow, selected for \u201cclarifying the role that intellectual strengths and personality traits play in educational achievement\u201d and for \u201cproviding an alternative to the focus on cognitive skills now dominant in American education practice.\u201d Prior to her career in research, she founded a summer school for underserved children that was profiled as a Harvard Kennedy School case study. She earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in neurobiology from Harvard College, a master of science in neuroscience at Oxford as a Marshall Scholar, and a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stanley Nelson<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
A multiple Emmy Award\u2013winning filmmaker and recipient of the National Humanities Medal, Stanley Nelson is a director, writer, and producer of documentaries that capture the struggles and triumphs of the American experience, particularly through the lens of Black history and civil rights.<\/p>\n\n\n
- Stanley Nelson<\/strong>, an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work amplifies untold histories and who mentors emerging filmmakers of color, will receive a Doctor of Fine Arts degree.<\/li>\n\n\n\n