2025 Commencement Student Speaker Opportunity

Graduating students, we are excited to offer the opportunity for students earning degrees or certificates in the 2024/2025 academic year to apply to serve as a commencement speaker in this year’s commencement celebrations. This is your chance to reflect on your experiences at OCC and encourage your fellow graduates in their future plans. Addressing your fellow graduates is an honor bestowed upon a select few students. This valuable experience is one that will offer you a chance to influence your fellow graduates in a very positive way. 

We will be selecting two speakers for Saturday, May 17, at the Oakland University Athletics Center O’rena: one speaker will present at the 10 a.m. ceremony and the other at the 2 p.m. ceremony.

Eligibility

  1. Students graduating the 2024/2025 Academic Year
  2. Students with a GPA of 3.5 or above
  3. Students with accounts in good standing

For your application to be considered, please apply to graduate.  

Selection Process

  1. Apply to Graduate
  2. Eligible students complete the speaker application form by 11:59 p.m., Sunday, March 9
  3. Applications will be reviewed by the Provost’s Office and narrowed down to the top finalists
  4. Finalists will be contacted by phone and interviewed by Dr. Jennifer Berne, OCC’s Provost
  5. All applicants will be notified of the status of their application by email. Please monitor your OCC email.

Deadlines and Required Participation

Please mark your calendar 

  • Sunday, March 9 (11:59 p.m.): Application due (Sorry, extensions cannot be granted)
  • Week of March 10: Finalists notified and scheduled for an interview
  • Week of March 17: Interviews conducted
  • Monday, March 24: Speakers notified
  • Friday, April 11: Speaker photo and interview session: 1-3pm; location TBD
  • Monday, April 28: Final speeches due
  • Friday, May 16: Commencement rehearsal – OU Athletics Center O’rena
  • Saturday, May 17: Commencement at OU Athletics Center O’rena

Speech Requirements - Your speech should:

  1. Be 4-6 minutes in length
  2. Highlight personal experiences and be relatable to your fellow graduates
  3. Incorporate this year’s theme: "Our legacy lights the way forward."

As we celebrate OCC’s 60th anniversary, it is our OCC graduates who light the way forward. This theme signifies a message of hope and positive action toward a better future through innovation, determination and progress. OCC graduates are a beacon of light, guiding others with inspiration and purpose. We stand together as a beacon of hope and promise as we lead the way forward, confront obstacles, navigate uncertainty, and rally with a unified strength building a stronger community for the future. 

Selected speakers will receive guidance and support refining and delivering their speeches from faculty in the Communications/English department.

Next Steps

  1. Complete the application form today. Don’t forget it is due by 11:59 p.m., Sunday, March 9
  2. Questions about the application process can be directed to contactus@oaklandcc.edu.

Thank you for your interest in serving as a commencement speaker.