# 2024: Who was the Thomas Jefferson University graduation presenter?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-who-was-the-thomas-jefferson-university-graduation-presenter/1030406>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 26, 2026, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-who-was-the-thomas-jefferson-university-graduation-presenter/1030406 "2026-05-26T14:42:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-who-was-the-thomas-jefferson-university-graduation-presenter/1030406/1 "2026-05-26T14:42:27Z")

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[Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq5fFjqBWSA)

This went viral because the speaker was reading the names from cards with (apparently) really bad phonetic pronunciations. Supposedly the speaker was replaced after 10 minutes of this embarrassment, but nowhere can I find that the speaker was ever identified.

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-who-was-the-thomas-jefferson-university-graduation-presenter/1030406/2 "2026-05-26T15:07:28Z")

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A ton of articles about the incident, but I can’t find one naming her. Perhaps she is being hidden in the Witless Protection Program?

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-who-was-the-thomas-jefferson-university-graduation-presenter/1030406/3 "2026-05-26T15:53:57Z")

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So far as I can find, the university declined to name her, according to the Philly Voice, and I can’t find any information beyond that. Even Reddit is empty on the identity.

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**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\
**Post date:** [May 26, 2026, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-who-was-the-thomas-jefferson-university-graduation-presenter/1030406/4 "2026-05-26T17:36:51Z")

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Was she doing a bit? Like that Key & Peele sketch? “You done messed up, A-A-Ron!”

My name is Aaron IRL, I’mma get a shirt that has that line on it.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2026, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-who-was-the-thomas-jefferson-university-graduation-presenter/1030406/5 "2026-05-27T20:51:36Z")

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Usually the person doing this would be a member of the college’s administration, a dean or something of the like. Plenty of people there would have known who it was.