Commencement Speaker

The Student Commencement Speaker is an honorary participant of the graduation ceremony, and provides a 5-minute speech that serves to inspire and honor graduating students.    

Eligibility:

To be considered as the Student Commencement Speaker, the student must have:

  •  Petitioned to graduate for the 2026 ceremony year (summer or fall 2025, spring 2026, summer 2026).

Speaker & Speech Requirements:

  • Provides a speech no longer than 5 minutes in length
  • Is an engaging speaker, able to relate to the graduating student and their families/supporters
  • Provide remarks to commemorate the year, the graduating class, and serve to positively inspire graduates
  • Sits on stage during the entire Commencement ceremony, must arrive to the Ceremony one hour early. 
     

  • Application period is February 4 - March 4, 2026.
    • Interested students submit application via online form by March 4, 2026.
    • On March 6, 2026 applicants are emailed link to sign up for audition time on March 28. 

  • Student Commencement Speaker Audition– March 26, 2026 (afternoon)
    • All candidates audition with a 5-minute Commencement Speech.
    • Audition panel will be 5 or 7 students recruited from ASCC/ICC.
    • 3 finalists chosen to speak before the Student Life Committee.  Candidates will be notified of their status by the end of the day, via email.

  • Student Commencement Speaker Finals – April 2, 2026, 1pm in AP 11 
    • 3 finalists provide speech to Student Life Committee.
    • Selected Student Commencement Speaker is notified by end of the day, via email.  

To apply:

  • Submit the application online by March 4.
  • All applicants will be emailed a link to sign up to audition on March 26.
  • Three (3) finalists will be invited for a final audition with the Student Life Committee on April 2.  
  • Successful candidate will be notified via email by April 2, 2026. 

The following rubric will be used by the Audition Panel and the Student Life Committee 

Student Speaker Rubric (score 0-10 per area, and also rank the candidates):

1. Delivery:

  • Vocal variety
  • Eye contact 
  • Stage presence 
  • Professional impression 

2. Speech Content:

  • On topic - graduation speech: encouraging, inspirational 
  • Relatable and appropriate to audience – graduates, families/supporters 

3. Organization:

  • Stays on topic throughout 
  • Speech progress (start, middle, end, i.e. no ‘rambling’) 
  • Time management 
  • Use of transitions