Alumna Mildred Dresselhaus is presented with the Nation's highest civilian honor: the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Dr. Dresselhaus is a professor emerita of physics and electrical engineering at MIT. In its announcement of the 2014 medalists, the White House called her “one of the prominent physicists, materials scientists and electrical engineers of her generation,” and recognized her for “deepening our understanding of condensed matter systems and the atomic properties of carbon, which has contributed to major advances in electronics and materials research.”

More about the ceremony:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/11/10/president-obama-announces-presidential-medal-freedom-recipients
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/communications/pressroom/news/hunter-alumna-mildred-dresselhaus-wins-the-presidential-medal-of-freedom

Dr. Dresselhaus was the receipent of the HCHS Distinguished Graduate Award in 2009.  She was unable to attend Commencement as she had a previous engagment (she was giving a talk in Beijing on nanotechnology!) but she was gracious enough to record her speech for the students: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTe6mAvWB2M