NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (AP) — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been chosen to deliver the 2020 commencement speech at Smith College.
The private women’s school in Northampton, Massachusetts announced the selection Thursday, saying Pelosi’s “long and distinguished career in public service has helped shape and define women’s leadership.” The senior Democratic leader is scheduled to address graduates May 17.
Pelosi became the first woman elected speaker of the House in 2007 and is serving her third term in the role. She has become a chief antagonist to President Donald Trump and led his impeachment in the House before he was cleared by the Senate this month.
She has represented San Francisco in Congress for more than 30 years. In Smith’s announcement, the school highlighted her role in passing the 2010 Affordable Care Act and in repealing the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which prohibited gay men and women from serving openly in the armed forces.
Pelosi, a graduate of Trinity College in Washington, D.C., will be awarded an honorary degree from Smith. The school’s past speakers include Oprah Winfrey and actress Jane Lynch. Last year, Smith graduates heard from labor activist Ai-jen Poo.
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