An unexpected path to greatness

Felix’s Olympic experience began at age 18, when she made her debut at Athens 2004 as the youngest member of the Team USA track and field team: “I was a teenager — everything was brand new and exciting,” she said. “Just making the Olympic team felt like the accomplishment of a lifetime.” 

There, she won silver in the 200 meters during just her second major international competition. Four years later in Beijing, she again stood on the podium with silver, which at the time she considered a failure.  

“I gave it everything I had, and I came away with another silver medal in the 200 meters,” Felix said. “I was crushed. Paralyzed by the feeling that I had failed. I felt like I had let everyone down, including my country, and that loss took me to a dark place. I questioned If I would ever reach the top.”

Felix and her team meticulously reexamined every aspect of her training routine in pursuit of even the smallest gains. Four years later, she had her breakthrough Olympic moment in London, capturing gold in the 200s. She went on to win two more golds in relay events, making the 2012 games the most successful of her career. With Olympic gold finally hers, a huge relief washed over her, she said. Yet even in the glow of gold, something felt amiss. 

“I had obsessed over this one moment for so long that it never stood the chance to match the dream,” Felix said.

For Felix, the “real magic” of that achievement, it turns out, came not in the accolade itself, but in the road to reaching it: “It was never just in the medal.” she shared. “It was in the journey — in the stretching, the struggle, the growth. It was in the people and in the perseverance. That was the gift.”

Even with those golds, it was Tokyo 2020 that truly cemented Felix’s place in history — not for what she achieved on the track, but for the barriers she broke beyond it. At 35, she competed in her fifth Olympics and her first as a mother, returning after a life-threatening diagnosis of severe preeclampsia during pregnancy.

In the years leading up to the games, she joined other female athletes in advocating for stronger maternity protections in sports. Her decision to speak out about her own experience with Nike — which she said threatened to cut her pay by 70% in contract negotiations during her pregnancy — sparked widespread debate and ultimately pressured the company to revise its policies. In 2019, Nike announced that it would guarantee pay for up to 18 months around pregnancy for sponsored athletes. Since then, other brands have begun to adopt similar measures, though maternity protections still vary widely across the industry. 

“I remember writing the op-ed in the New York Times, shaking — I was terrified,” Felix said. “But I knew that I needed to speak up, because staying silent would mean staying complicit.”

Ultimately, it was the birth of her daughter, she said, that gave her the courage, driven by the hope of empowering a more equitable path for future generations of mothers: “My daughter saw me walk away from a system that wouldn't protect me — and then watched me build one that would,” she said. “That's the legacy I will always fight for.”

Celebrating a longtime leader of the Baccalaureate and religious life at Brown

Beyond Felix's remarks, the Baccalaureate unfolded as a rich tapestry of celebration and reflection. It moved between joyful performances and quiet contemplation, blending prayers, rituals and blessings from Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism and the traditions of ancestral African and Indigenous peoples.

Student groups brought music and joy to the ceremony. Fusion Dance Company, the University’s oldest student-run dance ensemble, joined forces with the a cappella group Shades of Brown for a lively rendition of the Jackson 5’s “Never Can Say Goodbye,” drawing a roaring applause. Gendo Taiko, Brown’s beloved Japanese drumming group, closed the service with a powerful, high-energy performance that reverberated through the meeting house, sending the Class of 2025 off energized for the weekend's festivities.

In a heartfelt moment, this year’s Baccalaureate ceremony honored a cherished member of the community: the Rev. Janet M. Cooper Nelson, who is retiring after 35 years of service to the University. 

For more than three decades, Cooper Nelson has been an unwavering presence and compassionate leader at Brown, shepherding the campus through triumphs, tensions, celebrations and sorrow as University chaplain and director of the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life, which organizes the annual Baccalaureate.

Sophie Kieffer, a religious studies concentrator and member of the Class of 2025, presented Cooper Nelson with a bouquet of flowers during the ceremony — a gesture of gratitude for the profound impact she’s had on generations of Brown community members. For Kieffer, honoring the pioneering chaplain was a meaningful way to celebrate a guiding presence in her life and the lives of many others at Brown.

“I think Janet Cooper Nelson represents the best of Brown,” Kieffer said. “She’s remarkably inclusive, incredibly curious and genuinely excited about everyone she meets. And she’s helped me identify and embrace those values, not just during my time at Brown but in shaping who I am as a person. It’s a real honor to celebrate someone who, in many ways, knows Brown better than anyone.”

As she has eloquently for decades, Cooper Nelson offered the service’s Prayer of Thanksgiving.

Finding your own finish line 

Felix’s address culminated with a powerful message. Just as she navigated her own career on and off the track, she challenged the soon-to-be graduates to adopt a similar mindset for the obstacles they’ll undoubtedly encounter.

"There will be noise; there will be pressure to perform, to conform, to prove yourself constantly," Felix said. "But real purpose doesn't come from checking boxes or meeting expectations. It comes from living aligned with your values, with your faith and with your unique calling."

Felix encouraged the Class of 2025 to define success on their own terms, reminding them that strength often lies in carving out a unique path, even when it diverges from expectation.

"You've already climbed mountains just to sit here today, and now it's time to step forward," Felix said. "You might build companies. You might create art. Lead movements, teach, raise families, shape policy, change the narrative. However your race unfolds: Run it boldly. Run it with integrity. Run it with compassion. Run it with courage to pause, to pivot and to stand up for what is right."