A graduation ceremony at Hoggard High School in Wilmington, North Carolina turned into a moment of national conversation after a valedictorian used a quote during his commencement speech that a fellow graduate traced back to a 2022 Kanye West interview in which the rapper praised Adolf Hitler.
The ceremony took place on June 6 at Trask Coliseum on the campus of the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Nearly 500 members of the Class of 2026 were in attendance. Valedictorian Kyler Hosek delivered a speech centered on hope and the opportunities brought by artificial intelligence.
Toward the end of his address, he quoted what he called his “biggest inspiration,” saying: “Every human being has something of value that they bring to the table.”
He never named the source.
Sitting in the audience was fellow graduate Sara Rudeseal. Her friend Itzelle Heinberg, a Jewish junior attending Isaac Bear Early College, pulled out her phone and searched the quote.
She found it came from a West appearance on Infowars, the far-right program hosted by Alex Jones. The full quote from that interview reads:
“Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler.”
Heinberg texted Rudeseal what she had found. The two began messaging classmates. By the time Rudeseal reached the front of the diploma line, she had made up her mind.
When her name was called, she walked past the diploma line and straight to the podium.
“Valedictorian Kyler Hosek quoted a 2022 interview with Kanye West from Infowars. What Kyler forgot to do was finish the quote,” she said before event workers cut the microphone.
School Administrator Responds With “Nice Try” Before Directing Her Back to Her Seat
Rudeseal told reporters she had planned to follow up by completing the quote and reminding the audience of the Holocaust and the 85 million lives lost in World War II.
After the mic was cut, she approached Principal Christopher Madden. According to Rudeseal, Madden told her, “Nice try,” and sent her back to her seat. She left the stage without her diploma and received it the following Monday from an assistant principal.
Hosek and his family say the speech was reviewed and approved by school administrators before the ceremony. In a written statement, Hosek said his address was about hope and optimism and that he rejects antisemitism in all forms.
He has not publicly responded to questions about whether he knew the full context of the quote or who originally said it.
Superintendent Dr. Christopher Barnes issued a statement saying the district condemns antisemitism and is reviewing its speech vetting process. The district has not confirmed whether Rudeseal faces any disciplinary action.
Rudeseal told Fox Carolina she has no regrets.
“The quote was praising Hitler, and the school board needs to be better about vetting their speeches,” she said.
