Nyle DiMarco. Photo: Instagram
Returning to his alma mater, actor, model, and activist Nyle DiMarco delivered a powerful undergraduate commencement address at Gallaudet University on Friday, May 15, 2026.
DiMarco, who has long described himself as sexually fluid, used the historic occasion to celebrate intersectional identity and offer a resonant “love letter to Deaf excellence.”
The university honored him during the ceremony with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, marking a full-circle milestone for the 2013 graduate who rose to international fame as the first Deaf winner of both America’s Next Top Model and Dancing with the Stars.
Delivered entirely in American Sign Language with spoken interpretation, the speech rejected traditional narratives of limitation, focusing instead on “Deaf gain”- the unique cultural, visual, and cognitive advantages of the Deaf community.
DiMarco emphasized that the ability to navigate a world built for a hearing default requires a profound level of adaptability, creativity, and intellect. He challenged the graduates to recognize that their perspective possesses an inherent brilliance the world desperately needs, rather than feeling the obligation to constantly prove themselves to others.
He urged the graduating class to break past rigid societal boxes, whether related to ability, language, or romance.
The address concluded in a poignant moment of solidarity as the traditional thunderous applause of the arena was replaced by a visually stunning sea of thousands of upraised, waving hands—the universal sign for Deaf applause—honoring a message of profound cultural pride and limitless potential.
