EBS Medal Recipient Simone Biles

Simone Biles Named Fourth Recipient of the Ellen Browning Scripps Medal

As Scripps College begins its Centennial year, the College will honor Simone Biles with the Ellen Browning Scripps Medal—its highest distinction. The Medal recognizes women whose achievements reflect the vision and values of the College’s founder, celebrating confidence, courage, and hope in action.

Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, has redefined excellence through perseverance, advocacy, and grace. With 41 medals and honors including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and TIME’s 100 Most Influential People, Biles continues to inspire generations around the world. Through her work with Friends of the Children, she advances education and wellness for youth connected to adoption and foster care, embodying the spirit of leadership and compassion that defines Scripps.

The Ellen Browning Scripps Medal Honor with Simone Biles will inaugurate a yearlong celebration of 100 years of Scripps College—honoring a legacy of educating women to shape a better future.

EBS MEDAL CEREMONY:
Friday, May 1, 2026
6:30-8 p.m.
Elm Tree Lawn

EBS Medal History

“The paramount obligation of a college is to develop in its students the ability to think clearly and independently, and the ability to live confidently, courageously, and hopefully.”
Scripps College Founder, Ellen Browning Scripps

The College has awarded the Ellen Browning Scripps medal, the highest honor Scripps bestows on an individual, only three times in its nearly 100-year history. The EBS medal celebrates the life and vision of its founder, Ellen Browning Scripps, by recognizing a woman whose achievements are in alignment with the mission of the College, demonstrating the moral, ethical, and humanitarian standards exemplified by our founder, enabling all women to live more confidently, courageously, and hopefully.

Past EBS Medal Recipients

• 2013: Gabrielle Giffords, former congressmember and alumna of the Scripps College
• 1998: Sandra Day O’Connor, former associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
• 1994: Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

Medal Criteria

In selecting the next award recipient, the College considers a balance of background and accomplishments. The recipient must be:

• a dynamic, compelling, passionate person who is a current leader or influencer in her field
• a well-known, public figure, highly respected for her life’s work
• a person of influence and prestige who brings considerable positive attention to Scripps College