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One summer, 12-year-old John Hoke III was floating on a raft in a swimming pool. An avid runner, he began to wonder how he could shrink the raft and attach it to the bottom of his sneakers to cushion the impact while jogging.
Hoke drew a picture of his imaginary prototype and mailed it in a letter to Nike’s then-CEO Phil Knight’s office in Beaverton, OR. He was surprised and delighted to receive a response from the Nike team, saying that the company was developing a similar idea, later released as Nike Air. They asked him to stay in touch, and the letter now hangs in Hoke’s own Beaverton office—he’s the company’s chief design officer.
In a recent commencement speech Hoke delivered to the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture, his alma mater, the designer spoke about his whimsical early shoe design, and how he came to realize that a sense of “wonder” was one of his most important assets.
“Through my education at Penn State, I came to better understand myself and realize in fact, that my superpower became wonder,’ Hoke said. “I was a kid who spent a lot of time wondering, always asking questions like what if? What now?”
Hoke went on to say that his neurodivergence was also an important piece of his success, and a big part of his gift for drawing.
“Being dyslexic meant that drawing was truly my first language. It’s how I always understood the world around me and always explored ideas,” Hoke told the graduates. “In many ways, I view my dyslexia as a gift to see the world differently.”
Hoke urged the young grads to forgive their own perceived flaws, adding that the support he got from loved ones was key — parents, coaches, teachers and wife all nurtured him by celebrating what he was, versus what he wasn’t.
Hoke previously won the International Dyslexia Association’s Pinnacle Award in 2019, which recognizes a figure of prominence who serves as a role model to others with dyslexia.
The designer recalled being obsessed with sneakers and drawing from a young age. He was always interrogating the world around him, asking how things could be improved and using his creativity to produce original solutions.
“I see creativity as an invitation to always make things better, more vibrant, more connected and most importantly, more human,” he said.
Hoke left the students with a call to stay curious and open, “bravely unlearn” in the years ahead.
“I wonder what will give you goosebumps. I wonder how your creativity will amplify our humanity,” Hoke said. “I wonder what you’ll make to help us think, connect, laugh, cry, feel and love.”
