From the balance beam to the Catalyst stage, Olympian Laurie Hernandez is joining the PTK Catalyst 2025 speaker lineup.
In the 2016 Rio Olympic games, Laurie was the youngest member of the “Final Five” along with Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Madison Kocian, and Aly Ramisan that helped the U.S. women’s gymnastics team bring home the gold for Team USA. The Final Five is the most decorated American Olympics gymnastics team, bring home nine medals.
Individually, Laurie brought home a silver medal for her routine on the balance beam.
As a second generation American, Laurie was the first U.S. born Latina to make the U.S. Olympic team since 1984.
A year after becoming a 2-time Olympic Medalist, Laurie published her first book I Got This: To Gold and Beyond, a memoir about growing up dreaming of being an Olympian and what it took to win the gold, making her a New York Times Bestselling Author for the first time. In 2018, she made the bestseller list again after releasing her children’s book She’s Got This.
Mattel honored Laurie in their “Sheroes” collection with her own collector’s edition Barbie to honor her and recognize her as a role model for girls.
Laurie came back the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020 and the Paris Olympic Games in 2024 as a gymnastics analyst for NBC offering color commentary. Her live commentary at the 2024 Paris Olympics garnered her rapturous praise from the entertainment community, viewers, and experienced gymnasts. Her TikTok videos from covering the Paris Olympics also attracted a lot of attention on social media.
With the goal of continuing in entertainment as an actor and screenwriter, Laurie is also pursuing drama at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts in New York City where she is in her junior year.
Outside of school, Laurie is a fierce advocate.
Since 2018, she has served as the KPMG Literacy Champion to promote readership as a path to leadership by encouraging youth through literacy-building efforts; and to help advance equity and access to opportunity for all children across the nation.
Throughout the year, Laurie travels nationwide speaking to the next generation on college campuses about following one’s passion in life. She advocates for prioritizing Mental Health by learning to expand understanding and finding ways to support ourselves, family and friends. Laurie has become an outspoken champion for children’s rights and was named a UNICEF USA Ambassador in 2023.
We cannot wait to hear more about Laurie at PTK Catalyst on Friday, April 4 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Register today to see Laurie Hernandez at PTK Catalyst 2025.
