President's Charge to Lulu Miller '05

Growing up in Massachusetts, the daughter of two Swarthmore alums, Lulu Miller loved to write stories. As a history major, she developed an appreciation for primary sources.

Not long after graduating from Swarthmore, Lulu joined WNYC’s “Radiolab” as an intern and soon became the show’s first producer. Now the co-host of the Peabody Award-winning program, Lulu once said that doing improv at Swarthmore with Vertigo-go gave her a surprisingly good foundation for her career in radio.

A highly recognized and award-winning journalist, Lulu also co-founded and co-hosted the NPR podcast “Invisibilia,” which explored the unseeable forces that shape human behavior and our ideas, beliefs, and assumptions. She’s also the creator and host of “Terrestrials,” Radiolab's nature podcast for children.   

In 2020, she published her first book, Why Fish Don’t Exist. A national bestseller, the scientific thriller has been translated into 11 languages and is part of college curricula around the country. Her first children's book, Trucky Roads is due out next month!

Lulu Miller, you craft compelling, thought-provoking, and delightful narratives, and your storytelling helps us see life through new lenses and better understand the world around us. Now, upon the recommendation of the faculty, and by the power vested in me by the Board of Managers of Swarthmore College and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I have the honor to bestow upon you the degree of Doctor of Science.