Adrianne Haslet to Deliver Commencement Address

Former professional ballroom dancer and runner Adrianne Haslet, who survived the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, will serve as Commencement Speaker at Curry College’s 2024 Commencement on May 19 at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Mass. Haslet will also receive an honorary degree in the arts. Other honorary degree recipients include Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox (MCJ ‘00); Colette Phillips, President & CEO of Colette Phillips Communications, Inc., and Dr. Sally Snowman (M.Ed. ‘89), the first and only female keeper of the Boston Light.

Haslet was a professional ballroom dancer when she survived the terrorist attack at the 2013 Boston Marathon where she lost her left leg. She quickly rose to meet her daily challenges with fierce determination and Boston Strong strength. A full-time dancer at the peak of her career, she had to learn an entirely new way to navigate her daily life. In the wake of the terror, she has become a global inspiration. Appearing in her own CNN documentary, the cover of Sports Illustrated, People, and Time magazine. She has been featured on all major media outlets globally. Haslet hopes her emotional honesty will serve as an example to others looking to overcome adversity in their own lives.

She has spoken alongside then Vice President Biden, President Bill Clinton, the President of Nepal, and her debut TED talk has over 18+ million views. She travels the globe giving keynote talks to thousands, including the commencement address at Baylor College of Medicine, talks in Kenya, Ecuador, Nepal, Ireland, Copenhagen, and a tour across Canada. She has been named one of Cosmo’s Most Powerful Women, and Bing's most Inspirational Women. Her most cherished award was being honored by the ADL at the Kennedy Center for her work speaking out against terrorism, antisemitism, and hate.

Haslet has a documentary detailing her first year as an amputee titled The Survivor Diaries, which she did with Anderson Cooper. She speaks out against restrictions to Medicare, spearheaded the campaign to turn over the ‘one leg a lifetime’ law in New York, as well as Medicare's proposal to decline prosthetic coverage.

She has since become a distance runner, and ran in multiple Boston Marathons, most recently in April, coming in 4th place in the division she advocated for six years. Just two months later, Haslet took the win at the B.A.A. 10k. She is thrilled to announce her biggest project yet—starring in her own IMAX film that was just released on November 8th, that she filmed over the past five years. Haslet says that her quote “I refuse to be called a victim. A victim is defined by something that happened in their life. I am a survivor, defined by how I live my life.” rings true for everyone struggling with something in their own lives.