(TOMS RIVER, NJ) — The Ocean County College Foundation's Blauvelt Speaker Series kicks off its 2026-27 season with "A Conversation with Laurie Hernandez" on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at the Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts on the Ocean County College campus in Toms River. The event begins at 6:00pm.
Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Laurie Hernandez captured the world’s attention at age 16 when she won gold and silver medals as a member of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In the decade since, her career has taken her from the gymnastics floor to broadcast television, publishing, and even the Broadway stage.
Following her Olympic success, Hernandez won the Season 23 championship of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” taking home the coveted Mirrorball Trophy. Her 2017 memoir, “I Got This: To Gold and Beyond,” became a New York Times bestseller, followed in 2018 by her children’s picture book “She’s Got This.” Hernandez also brought her perspective to the broadcast booth, serving as a gymnastics analyst for NBC during the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In 2026, she graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a degree in drama.
Today, Hernandez speaks to audiences nationwide about the importance of following your dreams and embracing who you are. She is also a fierce advocate for mental health and has partnered with multiple campaigns and initiatives to encourage awareness.
Tickets for the in-person event are $20 and available for purchase online. A free livestream is also available; advance registration is required. Complimentary tickets are available for students.
The OCC Foundation’s Blauvelt Speaker Series welcomes distinguished speakers whose achievements, experiences, and ideas encourage audiences to see the world from new perspectives. The series is funded in part by the generosity of the late Bradford Thomas and Eleanor G. Blauvelt and the Wintrode Family Foundation. Additional sponsors for the 2026-27 series include Stella and Marshall Kern, Keynote Sponsor; and Student Ticket Sponsors The Citta Foundation, Arlene and Frank Dupignac, Jr., New Jersey Natural Gas, Rotem Dental Care, and Vision Financial Services.
Since 1965, the OCC Foundation has proudly served the Ocean County College community, awarding over $22.5 million in scholarships and special program funding for deserving students. The generosity of our donors continues to make a lasting impact, supporting initiatives like the Helping Hands Food Pantry, the Blauvelt Speaker Series, the Grunin Center for the Arts, the Global Travel Experience, the Veteran and Military Resource Center (VMRC), the Robert J. Novins Planetarium, Viking Athletics, and many more college and student-led initiatives.
Ocean County College is a public two-year community college sponsored by the County of Ocean and the State of New Jersey.
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Since bringing home the Gold and Silver medals at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Laurie Hernandez has gone on to win the coveted Mirror Ball trophy on “Dancing with the Stars” Season 23 and her first book titled “I Got This: To Gold and Beyond” chronicling her journey thus far was published in 2017, hitting the New York Times Best Sellers list. In 2018, she released a children’s picture book “She’s Got This,” also a New York Times Best Seller, while serving as a Literary Champion to promote readership as a path to leadership, and Mattel created Laurie Hernandez “Shero” Barbie to honor her.
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