When I found out Hank Green would be our commencement speaker, my heart felt so full.

!!!

Hank is a man of many passions: science communicating across generations, launching companies that donate all their profits to charity, posting weekly vlogs filled with wonder — the list goes on. I’ve been a fan of Hank (and his brother John) for basically my entire conscious life. I stumbled into the Green brothers’ corner of the internet about a decade ago and have been captivated ever since.

• CrashCourse and SciShow taught me about how beautiful science is and how it can be used for good. 
• Nerdfighteria gave me a sense of home through a community of nerds.
• As members of the Awesome Socks Club, my friends and I fight every month over who gets the socks — designed by independent artists, delivered through the Good Store, and with 100% of proceeds going to charity.
• The Foundation to Decrease World Suck inspires me with its thoughtful, effective philanthropic efforts.
• An Absolutely Remarkable Thing captured how weird and profound the social internet is. 
• The We’re Here newsletter delivers a dose of optimism each week in a mediascape that often thrives on negative news.
• Dear Hank & John and Hank’s TikToks taught me to think more critically and broadened my perspective on the world.
• I often turn to Vlogbrothers when searching for some hope, a laugh, or simply connection. 

Amidst all his projects, Hank leads with heart. He pulls back the curtain and discusses openly: not just about the polished successes, but the failures too, because those are part of the process. He seeks out truth and, when he finds it, he eagerly shares it. He cares deeply about the world and takes action to help make it better. It’s weird to feel so connected to someone I don’t personally know, but my respect for him is very real. I’m honestly surprised he isn’t an alum — he’s such a perfect embodiment of MIT culture: nerdy, daring, and curious. I can’t think of a better speaker.

You never truly know the impact you have on others, and this blog only scratches the surface. It feels especially fitting to write about this here, on the MIT Admissions Blogs: a wholesome, geeky corner of the internet similar to Nerdfighteria itself. What follows is a conversation: an interview with Hank, and reflections from the MIT community. 

We’re excited to welcome him with open arms and keep the conversation going when he arrives on campus.

Interview with Hank

We had some questions for Hank, and he had answers.

What is your favorite topic of science or favorite science fun fact?

You know how people often have a song that they’re obsessing over at any given time? That’s how I am with facts. I always have a favorite fact, but it’s also always changing. Right now, it’s a race between the fact that it’s seeming increasingly likely that three of Jupiter’s moons have more liquid water than Earth, and that grasshoppers existed on earth before grasses evolved. 

What drew you to science communication and what were you doing before you started Crash Course? 

These two questions are actually so different I’m just going to answer the first half!

I am a huge fan of things. Like, I tend to consume content in a way that is really intensive and really curious. The result of that is that I have a really hard time not wanting to try to make things that are like the things I love. That goes for youtube videos, podcasts, comedy,  music, but it goes especially for science communication. I have been subscribed to Scientific American for over 30 years and I’m 44 years old. I love Carl Sagan and Mr Wizard and Beakman and it was very hard for me to watch those guys and not want to be them. 

The fact that I actually kinda ended up having this job is really, really cool, and really, really weird. 

Any tips for creators just starting out?

My advice is always some contradictory combination of “know what you actually want” and “iterate constantly.” The only thing I’ve ever seen that reliably leads to creative success on the algorithmic internet is an unhealthy obsession with success on the algorithmic internet, but I’m not going to offer that as advice.

If you weren’t doing what you’re doing today, what else would be doing?

Before YouTube I was writing for a bunch of publications (including my own blog), mostly about green technologies. A lot of my colleagues from that era are still doing that, and I hopefully would have figured out a way to make that work.

Do you have any side hobbies nobody knows about?

I do enjoy a yo yo, but I am not good. Another one is Sid Meier’s Civilization games. 

What would you do if you magically had a 10-day break free of obligations?

Probably invent a bunch of new obligations but HOPEFULLY I would just read books and write.

What are your passions in life?

I mean, pretty much what you see. My biggest passions are for raising money for Partners in Health and trying to help people know more about their world. 

Do you have any certain beliefs you live by (mottos, values, etc)?

Yeah, absolutely. My wife and I always say (sometimes after a long sigh) “Everybody’s themselves.” It’s just an important reminder that people are different from each other. My big overarching belief is that the whole situation we’ve got going on here on Earth is WAY more interesting and important  than the average person thinks it is, and that goes double for the human parts. People argue with me about that last point, but the way I see it humans are the weirdest, most interesting thing that has ever happened in the known universe. 

What are you excited for for the future (can be personally, for society as a whole, etc)?

I probably won’t get to see it, but I think someday we’ll have pretty much cured all illnesses caused by viruses, and I think that would be a very, very cool world to live in. 

Student Stories

A dormspam survey about Hank Green and commencement was sent to all undergraduates, with 123 students responding. Here’s what they shared:

crashcourse childhood gang 😤

many are excited

All of the written responses are available here. These are some highlights:

Alumni

Alex C. ’21

“He may have made the single largest impact on my worldview among any individual I don’t know personally. He gave me so much academically, provided a guiding hand concerning many of the stranger aspects of the world (offline and online) that I was thrust into as a teenager, and modeled that learning more is always better than asserting that you’re right (even if it’s hard sometimes).”

Assel I. ’21

“I will mostly talk about the more personal/emotional aspects of how their work has impacted me but of course I cannot neglect acknowledging how much *pure, cold, hard, fact-rich information* I have gained from Hank’s (at times dangerously) captivating videos about science. I have heard from so many people outside of STEM fields how much they have learned from Hank’s TikToks and from fellow MIT students about how much they learned from SciShow and CrashCourse growing up. What I am referring to in the paragraphs below goes beyond that.

I’ve been a Nerdfighter since 2012, so this is the first online community I have been a part of. The work that Hank and his brother John have been doing throughout the years is like one of these thick weight-bearing pillars of my personality. I honestly don’t think there are other people (besides my immediate family) that have shaped my worldview as much as Hank and John have. And I am sure that tons of MIT students will concur. 

I don’t believe that MIT could have chosen a more perfect commencement speaker in general but also especially in these trying times. A final personal note I would like to share is that to this day whenever my hope tank is running low, I consciously turn to vlogbrothers videos to make me feel grateful to be human again.”

Seniors

Amber C. ’25

“Hank taught me education isn’t tests and meaningless lectures; it’s talking to people, learning for fun, and following passion. It also isn’t meant for the specific type of person, but should be accessible for all.”

Akshay A. ’25

“I originally found Hank through SciShow and later fully watched through both the Chemistry and Biology Crash Courses while in middle school. A lot of my early enjoyment of studying the sciences came through watching these videos, and I still super vividly remember the most random things about them. For example, I learned about the word “portmanteau” from the intro to the video on redox reactions, and about the Chunky Monkey ice cream flavor from his digestive systems video (it’s now a top 3 flavor for me!). It really feels like a full-circle moment to have him speak at my graduation, and I’m incredibly excited!”

Morgan G. ’25

“I relate to Hank in a lot of ways. He’s bi, I’m bi. He has ADHD* (he’s not sure himself but he admitted it’s probably true), and I relate to so much of his experiences with my own ADHD. He wants to make the world a better place, same with me. I have so many friends my age that are similar in these ways but I hardly ever find anyone that I can look up to that are like myself. Hank (and John too) has been on the Internet for so long, and seeing these positive male role models that are so unapologetically themselves, while also putting so much good into the world (I get great socks from him every month through his sock subscription service, with all profits going to charity) has been so inspiring to me. When looking at what I want my life to look like when I’m older, he’s the first person I think of.”

Ryan C. ‘25

“I honestly don’t think I would have made it to MIT without Hank and John Green. I did not come from a background where I was pushed to excel academically past the bare minimum. Their ideas inspired me to pursue knowledge so fervently that I eventually found myself doing well enough in school that I could get into a place like MIT without ever planning to.

I watched Hank and John’s videos (mostly vlogbrothers and a bit of Crash Course) religiously in my late middle and early high school years. I recall being floored and inspired by so, so many of their videos. 

I would come home thrilled to watch new vlogbrothers videos after school. Hank and John’s perspectives on education, kindness, earnestness, and curiosity were foundational for my own worldview — I remember feeling overwhelmingly determined and committed to learn *everything* in order to help *everyone* after watching their content (this has, with adulthood, sobered into a “learn as much as you can to help as many as possible in areas that are important to you”).

Hank in particular pushed science, and I also watched a ton of SciShow as a young boy, hoping it would help jumpstart my science learning journey (it did!). 

To this day I am eternally grateful for the ideas that Hank and John both shared on the internet. I wish I could afford this reply enough time to write a full, coherent essay describing just how much these two men helped shape me into the person, learner, educator, and community member that I am today. I have thought about writing such essays many times over the years, especially since Hank was announced as our speaker this year. Sadly I don’t have that time right now, so I will just leave this by saying

Thank You, Hank and John (or as John prefers to think of it, Thank You, John and Hank).”

Juniors

Mario S. ’26

“I am a Hodgkin’s Lymphoma survivor and was diagnosed shortly after he was, so his videos documenting his process really helped reassure me in a difficult moment, particularly because he beat cancer before I was diagnosed.”

Anika H. ‘26

“You have no idea how into scishow I was as a kid. Also, crash course saved my ass in several of my AP classes. Thanks Hank!”

Alicia ’19, MSc ’26

“Hank does a great job of focusing my attention and articulating important discoveries/concepts to make. He (with of course John) is great at keeping my hope alive and proving to me at any age you can still be EXCITED and NERD OUT”

Jeannie S. ’26

“Hank has changed my perspective on how sci-fi can impact me and my worldview. I attribute passing many AP exams to Hank and John’s CrashCourse, and I absolutely adore Dear Hank and John — a comfort podcast since high school. Hank has truly set an example of what impact one can accomplish as a public, yet common, figure. The pace at which he thinks of ideas and puts the pedal to the metal is very admirable, and pushes me to do the same.”

Sophomores

Peyton B. ‘27

“Hank made me feel like science was for me, for the kids that are chatty and nerdy and want to dream big.”

Anonymous

“He is the face of my childhood science education.”

“I’m upset he’s not my class speaker 😔 I can’t imagine anyone better — like where will MIT go now that we’ve peaked”

“[Hank] displayed the importance of not just science, but science *communication* from a very young age”

“I always enjoyed Crash Course in school, but more recently, he was diagnosed with cancer around the same time as my mother was. Watching his videos and explanations and sending them to her made us feel less alone and more like we knew what was going on. (She’s been cancer free for a year now!) I like watching his YouTube videos, and find them realistic while still being optimistic and full of empathy. They make me feel better in such turbulent times.”

“[Hank] motivated me to make my own educational materials for other students. I think he’s also made me a more intellectually responsible person.”

Outside of the survey, we also reached out to Ceri, an MIT alum and current admissions officer, who actually works with Hank. Her story of meeting him for the first time and eventually working alongside him is fascinating.

Ceri R. ’16

The first time I met Hank was in April 2015. Back then, he was touring the East Coast not as a science communicator or stand-up comedian, but as the frontman of a punk rock band. I was a junior at MIT and went to his concert in Cambridge with my friend Courtney D. ’17, who was (and is) also a Nerdfighter. We met him at the stage door afterward, where he signed our ticket stubs, and Courtney embarrassed me by saying something like, “Ceri is really great at making science videos!” I’m sure Hank replied with something kind and thoughtful that I freaked out about later, even though now that moment is blurred in my memory, and I assume it has completely vanished from his.

While that one interaction didn’t necessarily change the trajectory of my life, Hank certainly has in many ways—as a YouTuber, a boss, a co-podcaster, a mentor, and a friend. I would’ve been over the moon if Hank had been invited to speak at my graduation almost a decade ago, since I spent my entire time at MIT grappling with the idea of leaving the “traditional” paths of academia or industry to try and do something a little weirder. And Hank is really, really good at weird. He embodies the sense of passion and play of MIT at its best, and he actively works to break down barriers around STEM that institutions like MIT can intentionally or unintentionally enforce. I’m so excited for the 2025s to get to celebrate their time at MIT together, with him, and that silly internet careers feel more and more real with every passing moment.

Conclusion

For many of us, Hank was a guide long before MIT — and, now, he’s part of how we say goodbye. How full-circle.