Graduation Information

Commencement Student Speaker Tryouts

You're Invited to Audition for the Class of 2025 Commencement Speaker

Do you believe that you can inspire and motivate the class of 2025? Yes! Then we encourage you to apply and possibly become this year’s student commencement speaker.

Eligibility

To be considered for Student Commencement Speaker, applicants must:

• Have earned a current GPA of 2.0 or higher
• Be in good academic standing
• Have displayed good citizenship while a student
• Will be receiving an Associate Degree from Foothill College
• Must attend the Commencement Ceremony

Guidelines for Your Speech

• Speech upto 5 minutes of original content (cannot go over)
• Shared orally in front of an audience of 1000 people or more 
• Mindful of the audience, including a diversity of graduates, families, and friends

Elements of a Successful Commencement Speech

• A message that inspires, encourages, and reflects the vision and hopes of the graduates
• A compelling story that incorporates your Foothill College experience (i.e. volunteering, balancing work/school, involvement in the community, overcoming hurdles, taking risks, a transcendent learning experience, or others)
• A message that is substantive, meaningful, entertaining, and suitable to the occasion
• A clear and cohesive organization of ideas or messages

Speaker Selection Process

• A graduation committee will review all submissions
• Graduating students will be selected for an interview to present their speech on Wednesday, May 14 (in person) or Thursday, May 15 (via Zoom), 2025 between 1-4 pm.
• Student will be notified if selected or not on Friday, May 16, 2025, by 5 pm.
  
• The chosen student speaker will be supported by our professional staff in developing their final speech and rehearsing delivery, to ensure they are confidently prepared.