Speaker Tryouts

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

• Speech of up to 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

• 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

• A graduation committee will review all submissions
• Graduating students will be selected for an interview to present their speech early to mid-May (exact dates TBD).  We will have one day for in-person presentations and one day for presentations via Zoom.
• The student will be notified if selected or not on Friday, May 15, 2026, 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.