Every year Etown announces a line up of speakers to enlighten students on various topics. The college originally announced this academic year’s presenters at the beginning of the fall semester, and now the first of the lectures is set to begin.
Monique Coleman, award-winning actress famous for her role as Taylor McKessie in Disney’s High School Musical, will be kicking off the series on Nov. 13 in the Leffler Chapel and Performance Center. However, acting isn’t all she is known for.
Coleman became the first-ever Youth Champion for the International Year of Youth for the United Nations’ and is an advocate for youth and social justice. She has furthered her advocacy efforts by speaking about education, human rights and civic leadership across 24 countries as well as uplifting youth through her Emmy-nominated docuseries Gimme Mo’, a youth driven series that sheds light on youth issues and offers insight and resources.
Registration is required for all lectures in the series and is free to students. If you are interested in hearing Coleman’s lecture We’re All in This Together, register online today by visiting https://www.givecampus.com/schools/ElizabethtownCollege/events/2025-2026-lecture-series.
Can’t make it to Coleman’s lecture? There are two more to look forward to in the spring semester. Carl Zimmer, science writer, blogger, columnist and journalist, will be presenting his lecture, The Age of AI: Cracking the Code of Life, on Feb. 12, 2026.
Zimmer will walk students through the ways biologists are using AI software to explore the many mysteries of life. AI surrounds our life and is used everyday by many for a variety of different tasks, but Zimmer will explain just how much AI can do.
“Foundation models” is what Zimmer uses to describe the software that learns on its own how proteins fold into their structures and can make new proteins from scratch, making sense of how genes work in our cells. According to Etown’s website students can expect Zimmer to “[takes] us on a mind-bending trip into the not-so distant future, when computers can discover how to make new kinds of cells, and maybe new kinds of life.”
The last of the line up is a lecture titled Creating the World You Want by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, bestselling author and gender equality advocate, on April 16, 2026. Adichie’s lecture reflects on her journey to adulthood and the first time she was called a “feminist” as an intended insult by sharing stories of resilience, individuality and courage to challenge societal norms.
Adichie is calling on students to unlearn gender roles as we know them and recognize that gender is a “cultural construct” rather than a reflection of who we are as people. Her lecture, as well as the other two, will take place at the Leffler Chapel and Performance Center and are free for students to attend. Registration for all lectures can be found at https://www.givecampus.com/schools/ElizabethtownCollege/events/2025-2026-lecture-series.
In addition to enlightening conversations about social justice, AI and gender equality, these lectures recognize Etown College alumni for the Educate for Service Award. These awards have honored individuals whose lives “exemplify the spirit and legacy of Elizabethtown College” since 1966, according to the Educate for Service Awards webpage. The categories are awarded annually including Service through Professional Achievement, Service to the College and Service to Humanity.
Last year’s awardees included Kyoko Utsumi Akanoma ‘67, Dr. D. Rodney Chamberlain ‘74 and Jane L. (Thomas) Riese ‘81. Awardees for the 2025-2026 Educate for Service Awards will be awarded during each of the three lectures this academic year.
Additional information regarding the Educate for Service Awards and the lecture speakers can be found at https://www.etown.edu/offices/president/lecture-series.aspx.
