Joel and his classmate Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck,[1] also a Wampanoag, were taught on the Vineyard by Peter Folger, the maternal grandfather to Benjamin Franklin.
In response to the posthumous ceremony in 2011, Cheryl Andrews-Maltais, the chairwoman of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), said: "We are delighted that this posthumous degree is being awarded to our own Joel Iacoomes since he was from our island community, it means a great deal to us to see his extraordinary achievement recognized alongside his fellow tribe member, Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck, the first Indian to graduate from Harvard.
"[7] While at Harvard, Joel used John Amos Comenius's Janua Linguarum Reserata as a textbook.
The Harvard College Library copy of the first edition of the Janua Linguarum has Joel's signature twice as a borrower.
"[5] Hiacoomes and Cheeshahteaumuck are portrayed in Geraldine Brooks' book of historical fiction Caleb's Crossing.