Voyages Event Program
“I’ve Got This”
Laurie Hernandez
U.S. Olympic Gold and Silver Medal-Winning Gymnast
Advocate for Body Positivity, Resilience, Teamwork and Navigating High-Pressure Situations
January 18, 2024
7 – 8:15 PM (EST – U.S. and Canada)
Lecture, Moderated Q&A discussion, and Audience Q&A
ECU Main Campus Student Center Ballroom, 501 E. 10th St., Greenville, NC
Welcoming Remarks
Dr. Allison S. Danell
Dean, Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Science
East Carolina University
Introduction
Dr. Almitra Medina
Associate Professor of Spanish Linguistics
Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures
East Carolina University
Moderated Q&A
Dr. Almitra Medina
Associate Professor of Spanish Linguistics
Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures
East Carolina University
Speaker Biography
Laurie Hernandez is a U.S. Olympic medal-winning gymnast and an advocate for body positivity, resilience, teamwork and navigating high-pressure situations. She won gold and silver medals at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. In 2017, she wrote her first book, I Got This: To Gold and Beyond, which made the New York Times Best Sellers list. In 2018, while serving as a literacy champion to promote readership as a path to leadership, she released a children’s picture book, She’s Got This, also a New York Times Best Seller. Later, Mattel created a “Shero: Laurie Hernandez” Barbie® Doll in her honor.
As a second-generation American (her grandparents are from Puerto Rico), Hernandez is the first U.S.-born Latina to make the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team since 1984. She travels the country speaking to the next generation about following dreams and the importance of mental health, for which she is a fierce advocate. She has partnered with multiple campaigns and initiatives to encourage mental health awareness.
In her free time, Hernandez enjoys spending time with her family. Acting is one of her passions and she has had cameos and voiceovers, co-hosted “American Ninja Warrior Junior” and won the coveted Mirror Ball trophy on season 23 of “Dancing with the Stars.”
Voyages Series Co-Hosts
Ms. Harvey S. Wooten
Voyages Series Contributing Sponsors
ECU Contributing Sponsors:
ECU Dr. Jesse R. Peel LGBTQ Center
ECU Academic Library Services
ECU Center for Counseling and Student Development
ECU Campus Recreation and Wellness
ECU Student Health Services
ECU Laupus Health Sciences Library
ECU Department of History
Lawrence F. Brewster Lecture in History
ECU College of Fine Arts and Communication
Ficklen Endowment for the Arts
Community and Corporate Contributing Sponsors:
Amanda Whited, Ph.D., Realtor with Keller Williams Points East
Nostalgia Newsstand