Who doesn’t yearn for the sweet, irreplaceable victory of Graduation Day? It’s been a long time coming, four or more years too long, and you and this priceless winning moment go way back. You couldn’t shake the momentous occasion off since your first day of school even if you tried.
You’ve countless mindless murmurs of “I can’t wait to graduate” to yourself while cramming assignments and projects. You’ve pulled all-nighters for exams with “Pomp and Circumstance” playing on loop in the background. Readings and assessments have challenged your mind beyond repair, but every tired, brain cell-deprived moment you’ve kept yourself awake is worth it. You know full well it is. At last, the time has come to cross the finish line, dolled up in your toga and the most lavish garment in your wardrobe, to revel in your hard-earned success that took four or more years to secure.
Photo: New York University, Harvard University, Northwestern University, University of Maryland
Nerves will kick in. Jitters will still lurk. And burning questions remain: should you start job-hunting? Get your Master’s Degree? Take a break or disappear unannounced? It’s a handful, but can they blame you? You want nothing less than the best graduation day where everything goes your way. But once you’re on that stage ready to march with your loved ones cheering you on, the recognition will be a comfortingly familiar feeling. You remember precisely why you’re graduating, putting forth the future you’re working for and towards. Your batchmates have dreamt of this blessing as ceaselessly as you have, and that’s how you know you’re meant to be here—at the grand culmination of your selfless sacrifices, service, hardships, and accomplishments.
Graduations around the world have mounted countless stories of trials, struggles, grit, and insurmountable dreams that incite critical thought and action among today’s youth. Pushing past merit and awards, these perspectives are furthered by various generational icons and change-makers—from outstanding batch valedictorians to notable scholars and working students—in the recent years. Honorable commencement speakers make graduating all the more memorable through their visits to various institutions, lending their wisdom, experiences, and lessons to students who deserve utmost support and clarity as they part ways with their alma mater.
Taylor Swift – New York University, 2022
Photo: New York University/YouTube
On May 26, 2022, music megastar—sorry, music megastar and honorary Doctor of Fine Arts recipient Taylor Swift told the graduating class of New York University (NYU), “The scary news is, you’re on your own now. But the cool news is, you’re on your own now.” And it single-handedly altered the whole world’s brain chemistry, driving every young adult at the crossroads of a life-altering future to tears. It was monumental. A 28-minute storytelling masterclass on letting your voice take up space without fear. If her speech brought families and past graduates together, we can only imagine the difference it made on all those NYU graduates that day. Unapologetic and teeming with truth, Swift’s commencement address was a remarkable undertaking turned core memory that the NYU Class of 2022 is bound to pass down to their kids, grandkids, and great grandkids.
Maria Ressa – Harvard University, 2024
Photo: Harvard University/YouTube
In a commencement speech that Maria Ressa found “harder to write than her Nobel lecture,” she spoke so competently of holding power to account amid pressing global crises, and existential problems that she left the 2024 Harvard University graduates with one compelling mantra: speak the truth even if your voice shakes. Ressa stood before the student body and distinguished Harvard faculty with a resounding call to choose your best self, turn crisis into opportunity, and be vulnerable. Fraudulent and dishonest threads of information continue to target truthful, human stories with a single click. In contrast, Ressa assures that there’s no better avenue to combat these attacks than knowing your values to their core at your education’s aid. You’ll meet various mentors and formators in your life beyond the classroom who’ll uphold your beliefs if, of course, they’re dignified and wholeheartedly put forth. But you’ll also come across people who can derail the views and opinions you stand by. Nonetheless, Ressa affirms that no one knows your ideals, ethics, and upbringing better than yourself. It’s subsequently up to you to adjust, unlearn, and relearn them towards the most compassionate and critical courses of action.
Steve Carell – Northwestern University, 2025
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Almost every student in the world graduates from college in their early twenties. And what’s one thing today’s twenty-somethings have in common at the cusp of young adulthood and career breakthroughs? That’s right, the mortifying ordeal of being a painfully honest, mistake-prone human with the impending doom of running out of time. In an era that loves to rush results and outcomes at the journey’s expense, Academy Award-nominated funny man Steve Carell argues that we gain the best connections from the process of achieving success. There’s no exact definition of life’s highs and lows. But the glimpses you’ll have into others’ journeys through short interactions, friendships you’ve maintained since grade school, and even the bridges you’ve burnt to find where your heart truly beats all matter. For Carell, experience doesn’t judge. You won’t grow fond of every single person you cross paths with, but the actor ascertains that life will still forge a fruitful path ahead of you despite the mishaps, hurdles, and grudges. In true Michael Scott fashion, Carell’s speech was a laugh and a half—witty, unforgettably sentimental, and spontaneous, tied together with a mid-commencement dance break that was equal parts “invigorating and disturbing.”
Kermit the Frog – University of Maryland, 2025
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Only in 2025 can you proudly say that a “Muppets” and “Sesame Street” icon headlined your college graduation. Kermit the Frog graced the University of Maryland’s ceremonial podium on May 23 to share his nostalgic and heartfelt words of encouragement on entering the real world. The beloved character’s 15-minute “Kermencement” speech was just the motivation and confidence boost the graduates needed. When you already feel uncertainties and impending responsibilities knocking on your door, count on Kermit the Frog to add bursts of color to the bittersweet, bleak new leaf you’re turning. You only live once, anyway. Might as well smile and breathe through life’s curveballs with the clever frog you grew up admiring. And while you’re at it, singing a few lines of “Rainbow Connection” is guaranteed to keep your hopes afloat.
ALSO READ: Graduating Soon? Here’s Your Ultimate Guide to Valid IDs
Congratulations, Class of 2025! How will you celebrate your graduation day? Tell us in the comments below!
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