Video from Gala

NEW YORK (May 7, 2013) —  Jeff Zeleny, Senior Washington Correspondent for ABC News and the former National Political Correspondent for the New York Times, was honored today by the Stuttering Foundation, the world’s leading charitable organization helping those who stutter. The event, held in New York City, celebrated National Stuttering Awareness Week.

“Jeff gave an inspired commencement speech at his alma mater, the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, a campus he began visiting at the age five for speech and language counseling. He courageously shared his own experiences as a person who stutters with the graduating class before him,” said Jane Fraser, president of the Stuttering Foundation. “He not only detailed, for the first time, his fear of public speaking but also offered sage advice to the audience facing adversity and overcoming ones fears. And through the wonders of YouTube, his address was captured for posterity – and for the stuttering community to treasure for decades to come. 

“Jeff shared four valuable life lessons he had learned during his time working with speech-language pathologists at the University: ’Step outside your comfort zone, confront your fears, challenge yourself and don’t be afraid of failure,’ he told the graduates. These mantras are well known to all patients who work on their own fluency,” added Ms. Fraser. “Thank you for reminding us all, Jeff.”