Before she was Usha Vance, she was Usha Chilukuri, an alumna of Yale University, summa cum laude; a Cambridge scholar; and a Yale Law School alumna. Even her husband, Vice President JD Vance, described her as “way more accomplished” than he. A woman of intelligence and duty to her country, Usha Vance deserves to be Hillsdale’s next commencement speaker. 

Now the second lady of the United States, Usha has stood by her husband’s side through some of the country’s most trying moments this year. Together, she and JD visited Assumption Catholic School in Minneapolis in the wake of the school shooting, and she walked with, and embraced, the widow of Charlie Kirk as the vice president accompanied his casket. Through it all, her duty has been to her family and the United States.

“My attitude is that this is a four-year period where I have a set of responsibilities to my family, to myself, to, obviously, the country, and that’s really what I’m focused on,” Usha told podcaster Meghan McCain in her first extended interview as second lady. “I’m not plotting out next steps or really trying for anything after this. And, in a dream world, eventually I’ll be able to live in my home and continue my career and all those sorts of things. And if that happens in four years I understand. If that happens at some other point in the future I understand. [I’m] just sort of along for the ride and enjoying it while I can.” 

Usha has achieved and excelled in her academic and professional careers. After graduating from college, she received her master’s degree in early modern history from Cambridge University. She attended law school, where she met her husband and served as an editor for the Yale Law Journal. Usha went on to clerk for Judge Brett Kavanaugh on the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals before he became a Supreme Court justice, as well as for Chief Justice John Roberts on the Supreme Court. She worked in civil litigation for five years until her career came to an abrupt end in 2024, when President Donald Trump chose her husband to be his running mate. 

Usha exemplifies an educated, fulfilled career woman. She defies much of today’s conservative messaging that a woman’s only calling is to stay home and have as many children as possible. Many Hillsdale women say they feel pressured to get their “Mrs.” degree in four years or risk being miserable forever. At a time when many young women will be in their caps and gowns, uncertain of their next career or family steps, Usha’s experience is reassuring. She used her educational formation to go forth into the world and accomplish greatness in her career before she had a family, and she continues to do so afterward. 

As much as she is a successful attorney, she is a devoted mother. In the same interview with McCain, Usha said she has focused on teaching her children self-sufficiency and making their lives as normal as possible, despite the media attention and importance of their father’s job. From reading with them, to making crafts for them, to watching “The Lion King,” Usha comes across as a very relatable mom. 

The college typically chooses people with Christian or conservative backgrounds. Usha is, at least in public, an apolitical Hindu. This is all the more reason to choose her. Even without explicitly “Hillsdale values,” she has devoted herself to justice, family, and country. These are universally admirable traits, evidence that goodness is written in the hearts of all. After graduation, most alumni will not have the homogeneous Christian conservative community of Hillsdale, but they will, hopefully, seek out fellow lovers of the good. Usha is one of them. 

Now, more than ever the country needs intelligent women to encourage the next generation. Hillsdale hasn’t had a female commencement speaker for about two decades. That’s not to say the college should pick Vance based on sex alone — this is, of course, not the Hillsdale way. But, for a college that prides itself on being one of the first to admit women, it’s time to hand the microphone to someone who embodies female excellence and intellect. 

Finally, Usha has advised the man who is now the vice president of the United States. He has credited her for helping him write and edit his No. 1 New York Times bestselling book, “Hillbilly Elegy.” It was her encouragement and wisdom that pushed him to become one of the most powerful men on the planet. Undoubtedly, she has a thing or two to share with the class of 2026.

Adriana Azarian is a senior studying politics.