how to write speech for graduation

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How to write a graduation speech .

Writing a graduation speech can be daunting. It’s natural to want to give the best speech possible to commemorate such an important milestone in your life. But How to write a graduation speech that is worthy of the day?

This page will be a comprehensive step-by-step guide for how to write a graduation speech that inspires and motivates. It will walk you through everything you need to know, how to write a graduation speech that leaves your audience teary-eyed. 

At the end of this page, I have written a sample graduation speech using this guide. 

I have spent days asking how to write the perfect graduation speech. I remember the banging of my head on my desk in frustration when I was preparing for my graduation speech. The reason for this paranoia was that I too, just like everyone else, wanted to give the best speech possible to commemorate such an important milestone of my life. 

The amount of time and energy I had spent in preparation for my graduation speech prompted me to put up this page. 

So here it is:

LET’S UNPACK with the No. 1 problem in How to write a graduation speech? 

The number 1 problem which everyone faces when setting out to write a graduation speech is where to start?

Well naturally before you start preparing your speech you will need to know what you want to talk about. You can call this a theme, a topic, an idea, or the subject of your speech. At this stage, it can be a one-liner or even a word that describes what you want to talk about. 

Again I know it is easier said than done. That’s why I have listed some approaches to help you figure out the topic of your graduation speech.

There are different approaches you can go by, but I will write a few which helped me.

How to find the subject of your graduation speech?

How to write a graduation speech around your core beliefs..

The first place I will recommend you to look for inspiration is your core beliefs. If you very strongly believe in something then talk about it. This could be what you stand for. Or what you will always stand for? Or what do you advocate? Maybe these beliefs are human rights protection, prevention of female objectification, and child labor, or maybe you believe in socialism or the importance of family structure.

The idea behind talking about your core beliefs is that you are genuinely passionate about them, and you will most likely have enough to talk about them. 

How to write a graduation speech based on Timeline.

I like to call this a timeline-based approach in deciding what to talk about during your graduation speech. Evident by the name you will pick up a moment or time and will talk about that time and how great or challenging that period was in your life. 

You can pick a period from your past to describe a challenge or a beauty of it and how it impacted your life and what lesson it has for others as well. 

You can pick a goal in the future which you want to accomplish and what motivates you in selecting this goal and how it will impact your life or people at large. 

To help you better understand, I have listed some examples. These examples sound generic but the actual events which happened to you will be unique for your audience. 

For the past based graduation speech, some ideas are: 

• A problem you faced to get to this position

• You had a certain difficulty, but you didn’t give up

• You faced trauma but still, you graduated or accomplished a goal.  

• What drove you, who motivated you, who built your passion, who never lost hope in you, who built your character and gave you confidence?

• What was your journey to get to this point?

• What took you to get here? 

• What were your expectations?

Remember: The purpose is not to tell your biography or how great you are. The purpose is to inspire with the underlying qualities which kept you going.

If you don’t want your speech to be sentimental you can always talk about:

• How fun your experience was

• How you will miss partying 

• How greatly have you lived your life here

• How amazing your friends, teachers, and institute were.

• How helpful everyone’s contribution was in your graduation. 

• You can go with funny events or can make very light fun at the expense of the audience. (Never insult.) 

• How has this time here changed you into a better person?

• How do you overcome your shortfalls

These are some past-based graduation theme approaches. Similarly, you can decide to talk about the future:

• Your goals

• Your optimism and how you plan to change the world.

• You always dream to follow your passion, and now you are one step closer

• You have an ideal personality who inspired you; now you can follow the lead.

• How you will miss this time, place, and people. 

• How you have learned to dream big and now explore

• No one is perfect, how you make mistakes, you will keep making mistakes, but this place taught you how to learn lessons from mistakes. 

• You look forward to stepping into the world.

• How guest of honor is your ideal and why do you appreciate them and want to follow the lead?

These are some of the examples I call a time-based approach in deciding how to write your graduation speech. 

Note: you don’t have to pick only one. You can relate a past event to achieve a future goal. 

How to write a graduation speech based on characteristics of value.

This one is simple really. When I was deciding how to write my graduation speech I came across this approach. In this approach of deciding your graduation speech theme, you can pick a characteristic and talk about it. In this case, you pick a characteristic value, and you start building your thoughts around it. 

• Value of Truth

• Importance of love

• Need of Courage

• Humbleness in sacrifice

• Lessons in failures

• Struggle for passion 

• Never giving up

How to write a graduation speech on the beauty of your passion. 

Here you find anything you are good at. It doesn’t have to be some sophisticated idea or any well-praised concept. It can be anything you are good at. 

It could be: 

• Any creative idea

• Participation in social causes

• Spirituality

• Gardening

Maybe you are passionate about gaming, or you have an interest in building stuff, or you like to experiment, or you have a sense of empathy and want to participate in social causes, or you have a knack for health and well-being. 

The point is it could be anything you like to do, which gives you happiness or a sense of fulfillment. You have to find out the good sides of this passion and talk about it. Link your source of happiness to real-world scenarios.

I mean there is a legendary speech about making a bed every day and how this one task is so great. 

How to write a graduation speech on delivering a point or argument.

The last approach I would recommend is delivering a point approach. Here you decide an end goal of your speech first then you build your argument around that goal. You have seen something wrong, or you would like some practice to change. Or in your view, a certain thing is not value-added but time-consuming or a method is not creative but laborious, and you would like it to change. 

You get the idea of what I am talking about. You may want to talk about human rights, and freedom of speech, you want to sound an alarm and talk about the environment, or you want to talk about any other modern-day problem. 

Here you have a point which you want to make. You will build your speech around that point. For example, you believe that home assignments are a waste of time. 

These are some approaches you can use to decide what you want to talk about. You can be creative and mix them or stick to one area. 

Now that you have your main idea, let’s start planning your graduation speech.

The planning stage of how to write a graduation speech.

Before you start writing your graduation speech there are some factors you need to know and understand when you are planning to write your graduation speech. We will figure those out during the planning process of the graduation speech together. 

Time and place

What time is your speech.

The first thing you need to know is which day, and where you will be delivering your speech. Usually the place of your graduation ceremony. It may be on campus grounds or in any other venue. 

But you need to know the time in a different context as well. 

Here you formally need to know at least three times for your graduation speech. Write that down for your reference. 

• First: Obviously what time is the speech?

• Second: how much time is allotted to your speech?

• Third: how much time do you have until your speech? 

How much time is allotted to you? 

You need to know how much time is allotted to your speech. You need to know that to prepare your speech. You need to know to create enough material to cover that time slot. Not too short, not too long.

My rule of thumb is at the planning stage when you are writing a rough draft for your speech your draft should have enough material to cover at least double the allotted time. You will need to consult with the organizers or graduation committee about how much time is allocated to you?  

How long should a graduation speech be?

Ideally, a graduation speech should be between 5 and 7 minutes long. That’s just enough time to deliver some inspiring words without dragging on (or putting your audience to sleep!).

Of course, each situation is different. If you’re the valedictorian or salutatorian, you may have a little more time to speak. And if you’re speaking at a smaller graduation ceremony, your speech may be shorter.

No matter how long your speech is, make sure you spend some time thinking about what you want to say. A well-written and well-delivered speech can be a memorable way to end your time as a student and start your new chapter as a graduate!

How much time do you have to prepare for your graduation speech?

The third and most important one is to know how much time you have for planning. You know this by allocating your time to your daily most important tasks. 

Know the Audience

This is tricky and an important factor to know before you write your graduation speech. Audiences come in all shapes and sizes. Know your audience before you start talking so that they feel welcome at the ceremony. You need to know who you will be addressing during your graduation speech. 

The common attendees are:

• Graduates

• Top students

• Faculty 

• And special guests

But keep in mind that among the audience all these people can also be 

• Media Personalities

• Influencers

• Potential employers

• Govt. officials

• Ethnic or minority groups

Beware of those who are attending, You don’t want to sound insensitive or hurt someone or a group of people’s feelings. For example, with a religious audience, you don’t want to talk against religion. Or might want to omit any jokes about physical features, or people with disability conditions if you have the same people in your audience. 

The second important thing to know about your audience is that you do not want to be specific to a small group of people. People of all ages and beliefs can be there, so avoid making specific cultural references to target only a small group of people. Instead, talk in broad general terms. 

There could be potential employers among the audience. You don’t want to sound cocky or to be remembered as arrogant. I mean it is entirely possible that a month later you are attending an interview and find out that the interviewer knows you already from your graduation speech with a bad impression. 

Tone when delivering your graduation speech.

This is important to know and decide. What will be your tone of speech? Do you want to sound formal or informal? Passive or assertive? Passionate or optimistic? Humorous or serious or do you want to keep it conservative or motivating? 

This might sound overwhelming but it is not. A lot of this has to do with the theme of the speech.  What I suggest is to choose according to your personality. Do you like to convey your message through humor or are you an optimistic person? But whatever you choose please keep it consistent. 

Having said that When practicing your graduation speech, it is a good suggestion to keep the tone upbeat. This is a time to celebrate the accomplishments of the graduates, so the speech should be motivating and inspirational. 

However, it is also important to be respectful and sincere. The graduation speech is an opportunity to thank the teachers, staff, and administrators who have helped the graduates along the way. It is also a chance to offer some advice and words of wisdom to the graduating class or future graduates. Whatever tone is used, it should be genuine and reflect the speaker’s excitement for the future of the graduates.

Avoid Cliches during your graduation speech

The Next thing in your planning stage is to avoid cliche. Everything has a place and time. Not everything should be said at all sittings. You might want to go political, or you might want to go activist. Even Though nothing is wrong with it, you don’t want your whole speech blaming others. 

In my opinion, if you can avoid it please do avoid it. The reason is not to discourage you from speaking up regarding social issues, but the reason is you just “graduated”. You have a diverse, more senior audience in front of you. Do, if you have to, refer to a certain issue or show your commitment towards it. But please do not give a lecture to your audience and make them feel responsible. You just freshly graduated and most likely you have not done anything substantial to change the problem you are talking about. 

Some other cliches are:

1. “This is the best day of my life!”

While it’s certainly an exciting time, your graduation isn’t necessarily the best day of your life. There are many other great days ahead, so try to avoid this clichéd line.

2. “Follow your dreams!”

This is another well-meaning but overused piece of advice. While it’s important to have dreams and goals, be realistic about what you can achieve.

3. “You’re the future!”

This may be true, but it’s also a bit daunting. Instead of putting pressure on yourself, try to focus on enjoying the present moment.

4. “It’s not goodbye, see you later!”

This may be the case for some people, but others are moving on to new chapters in their lives. Don’t try to force a sentimental moment if it doesn’t feel genuine.

5. “You’re going to change the world!”

This is a lot of pressure to put on someone. Instead, encourage your fellow graduates to focus on making a positive impact in their communities.

By avoiding these clichés, you can make your graduation speech more unique and personal. Instead of giving empty platitudes, focus on sharing your own experiences and lessons learned. This will make your speech more meaningful and memorable for both you and your audience. 

Distribution of your graduation speech

One thing which you need to consider is that your speech will be part of the record. It might be printed in a college journal, yearbook, or newspaper and will most definitely be recorded. It will be part of the internet or your collection. It is such a prestigious opportunity that you would want these words to be simple but memorable. You don’t want to waste this opportunity just for being funny or by roasting your friends or school. 

Be very careful if you are using facts and quotes in your graduation speech.

Make sure that you know your facts and stats if you are using them in your speech. Make sure you know the authenticity and origin of quotes if you are using them. Make sure you attribute the quotes and facts to the right person or institute.  

Start your graduation speech With a hook statement.

You only have a few minutes to make an impression, so you’ll want to start strong! Grab your audience’s attention with a compelling story, quote, or statistic related to the topic of your speech. Idea is to use bait to hook your audience with you throughout your speech. They would want to know how your story will relate to what you are saying. 

P.S – Hook statements are super fun, super engaging and can really turn the mood of the audience. This is a quality everyone should know regardless of this particular context of graduation speech. This article of American express explains it beautifully with examples.

A video example of using a hook statement.

An excellent example of this is this speech. 2015 World Champion: ‘The Power of Words’ Mohammed Qahtani, Toastmasters International

Note how the speaker’s first words and actions hooked the audience before he said a single word.

Write your graduation speech as You Talk

One of the biggest mistakes people make when writing speeches is trying to sound overly formal or ‘preachy’. Remember, this is YOUR graduation speech—it should reflect YOUR unique voice and perspective. It should bring out your persona.

Use Personal anecdotes in your graduation speech.

A great way to connect with your audience is by sharing personal stories or anecdotes that illustrate the main point of your speech. For example, if you’re giving a speech about resilience, you could share a story about a time when you faced adversity and how you ultimately overcame it. Just be sure not to make your stories too long—remember, you want to keep things concise! 

A video example of using personal anecdotes.

Watch this video for a brilliant speech and notice how the speaker used little personal experiences to draw conclusions and delivered his speech brilliantly.

End your graduation speech on a High Note 

Just like you want to start strong, you’ll also want to end strong! Leave your audience with something memorable—a call-to-action, inspirational quote, or final thought that sums up the main point of your speech perfectly. 

Edit, Edit, Edit!  

Once you have a draft of your speech written out, take some time to edit it for grammar errors and clarity issues. Then, ask a friend or family member to read it aloud, so you can get feedback on how it flows and sounds before delivering it on graduation day! 

Alternate the source of information

The fact is you are not the first person to give the graduation speech and most likely will not be the last person ever. Hundreds before you have been to the place where you are now. They had to prepare for their graduation speech and where did they go for inspiration or to get the idea? 

The same place where you are, The Internet. 

The point is most of the things which are on the internet have been said and done. Most of the stories have been told, and most of the quotes have been said. So what should you do? 

Change the source. 

Get your inspiration from another source. From a real event, an incident, a book you like, a poem you used to sing, or a song stuck in your head. Anything which no one has thought about. 

One of the great sources of inspiration for me is my older relatives, Grandparents, or uncle. Take a break, sit with them, and listen to their stories. They have lived years of more life than you. You can simply let them talk about their golden days or ask them specifically about an idea.  

The good news is that there are plenty of places to look for inspiration when it comes to writing a graduation speech. Here are just a few of them:

Your life up to this point: 

One of the best places to start when it comes to writing a graduation speech is by looking back at your life up to this point. What have been some of the biggest highlights? What lessons have you learned along the way?

Your future goals: 

Another great source of inspiration for your graduation speech is to look ahead at your future goals. What do you hope to accomplish in the next phase of your life? How can you inspire others to pursue their dreams?

Your favorite quotes: 

Another great way to get inspiration for your graduation speech is to look at some of your favorite quotes. Whether it’s a motivational saying or something more lighthearted, a great quote can often capture the essence of what you want to say in your speech.

Your favorite books: 

If you’re a reader, then one of the best places to look for inspiration for your graduation speech is in your favorite books. What messages do they convey that you feel are significant for your fellow graduates to hear?

Your favorite movies: 

Like books, movies can also be a great source of inspiration for your graduation speech. What scenes or dialogue from your favorite films can you use, to illustrate the points you want to make in your speech?

These are just a few of the many places you can turn to when you’re looking for inspiration. 

So here we are. We have our main theme. We have the necessary attributes for our speech. It is time to brainstorm and put words on paper. 

The way I recommend is that I divide the speech into a set formatted structure. 

Structure of Graduation speech

Just like any speech, I divide the speech into three main parts. 

1. Introduction

·         Acknowledgement

·         Hook statement

·         Transition

·         Main Point/ Passion statement/ Struggle/ achievement/ Goal/ Issues of Society etc. (depending on your topic)

·         Supportive argument/ Outcome/ process of achievement/ Benefits/ suggestions etc. 

·         Supportive argument/ your future goal based on main point/ plea for change etc. 

3. Conclusion

·         Reaffirmation/ wrap up your speech around the main point. 

·         Thanks and best wishes

Let’s write an actual graduation speech using this guide

As I mentioned at the start of this page when writing a graduation speech our number 1 problem will be what to talk about. What will be our central idea or theme of speech? 

To find a suitable theme for the speech let’s brainstorm for some inspiration. We will have to introspect : 

Let’s see, some of the Ideas I believe in are as follows. 

These are just some ideas. You can add as many boxes at the bottom and list all the brainstormed ideas. Now we have a list of ideas that we can go through with our friends, family, and peers. A Great way for some thoughts on your ideas is to discuss them with your parents. Remember this is not just your big day, it is a very proud day for your parents as well. 

The key is to choose the topic in which you are comfortable speaking, and you have enough to speak about it. 

As I’m a big fan of the Harry Potter books, let’s see if we can find some inspiration from the story of Harry Potter. The tale of Harry Potter is an instant classic. There can be so many points to talk about. This is a story of friendship, sacrifice, courage, redemption, hope, and good vs evil. I always believe in the one quote from the books. That is “love is the greatest magic”. 

This is a good topic. It is not controversial, it’s not political and love truly is one of the key attributes to living a happy life. 

Ok, Now we have a quote from our favorite book. Let’s turn that into a moving speech for our audience. My introduction will be something like this: 

“Good evening/morning, Distinguished guests, faculty members, staff, families, friends, and fellow graduates. Today we stand here in our fancy gowns and caps to celebrate one of the precious chapters of our lives. It is barely over, and it is already becoming nostalgic but that’s the talk of later times.

Today I am here to tell you a very peculiar thing I have come to learn in recent years. I know you won’t believe it when I tell you, that in the past few years, I have met some magicians and have seen some real magic. I am saying this in every non-fictional sense.  As for the past few years, We all have walked through the halls of this institute growing together, making memories but always under the protection of magic, rarely knowing about it. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I am talking about “love”. As another headmaster Albus Dumbledore, somewhere else in another universe puts it, that love is the greatest magic of all. As we are one foot into the next chapter of our lives, I want to talk about the most powerful magic and how it shaped us.

Alright, this is our introduction paragraph. As you can see it has three distinct parts colored differently. There is a clear acknowledgment/ introduction, followed by a very important Hook statement, and then followed by a transition line into the body of the speech. 

Let’s work on the body of the graduation speech. 

Ladies and gentlemen, As I look back, I cannot help but agree that often taken for granted and almost always overlooked, this simple yet most magical emotion was always there. It was there when our families supported us, our friends encouraged us, or even when our mentors disciplined us. All of these great magicians capable of loving us in our lows, have provided us with a strong foundation to build on. 

And that is just not it, Love was also there in us for our passion, love shaped our activities and the subjects we chose which in turn sparked our curiosity and allows us to grow our talents. 

To be truthful I have been thinking a lot in recent weeks, and I concluded that love is not just a feeling, I mean it has to be a forceful action. The willingness I have seen in my parents to sacrifice their comforts for me was not just a feeling, they did act on it. The steadfast support of my friends in every hour of need was more than just a boastful announcement, they actually stood with me. The promise of my mentors to go above and beyond to help me was not just a promise, they actually put extra effort to share their wisdom with me. How can it be just a feeling when all these wonderful people went beyond and actually acted and actually helped me to be here where I am? 

As we look ahead to the future, we can be confident that love will continue to guide us and will always help us to go through new opportunities and challenges. And I am 100% sure that we not only need the support of love to succeed in real life, but we also need love to get to the best version of ourselves. 

In all of our life up until now, we have been at the receiving end of this magical spell. Having said that it is also paramount that we learn to cast this spell now. Let’s be there for our family and friends as they were. Let’s just not sit back and hope that things will work out. Let’s take action to make sure that things do work out. Let’s promise to go out of our way to support and care for them, even when it’s difficult or inconvenient. Let’s listen to them when they need to be heard and offer a shoulder when they need it. 

Let’s cultivate a sense of love for ourselves as we strive to navigate through life and let’s extend the love to the precious people around us as we attempt to build a world that is more just, compassionate and beautiful. This is my resolution in life.  

In conclusion, today is a day to celebrate the power of love, and a day to express our gratitude to the beautiful magicians around us. We have accomplished a great deal, but we could not have done it alone. It is the love of those around us that have supported and sustained us through this journey. We are truly indebted to our teachers, this prestigious institute, our parents and family, and our friends. Thank you for your unconditional Love. As we move forward, let us hold onto the truth that love is the greatest magic of all. Let us be guided by the power of love, as we seek to make a positive impact on the world and to live lives that are full of purpose and meaning. 

Congratulations to every one of you on this incredible accomplishment, and may the magic of love continue to light our way into the future. Thank you

It is finally finished. 

P. S: I cannot show the whole work which I did to write this speech. Just so you know, a lot of editing and back-and-forth re-writing went into it just in case you are struggling to write it and want to give up. Don’t worry this is part of the process. 

Conclusion:  

Writing a graduation speech may seem daunting at first, but following these simple steps will help ensure that yours is one that will be remembered long after the tassels have been turned! And remember: this is YOUR story—so don’t be afraid to let YOUR unique voice shine through!

Read Also: How to fast track your bachelor’s degree.

• Graduation speech
• graduation speech example

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6 tips to write a great graduation speech (with examples) 

by Laura Jones

Published on November 24, 2022 / Updated on January 3, 2024

Being chosen to write a speech for a graduation ceremony is exciting, but also utterly terrifying, for many people. It’s not just your classmates in the audience, it’s parents and faculty too. And with some incredible student graduation speech examples out there (not to mention the perfection that was Steve Jobs’ speech ), there’s a lot to live up to. With that in mind, here are some tips and graduation speech examples to help you create the perfect commencement speech.

• Pick a theme
• Write an outline
• Pen a catchy introduction
• Write a thank-you paragraph
• Look back and look ahead
• End your graduation speech

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1. pick a theme.

The overall goal of graduation speeches is to inspire and move your audience. But there are lots of ways to do this, and picking the right theme is a big part of it. Popular themes are the importance of friendship; perseverance and overcoming adversity; having big dreams and imagination; making a difference. Once you have your theme, it will be easier to choose anecdotes, quotations , and examples to put into your speech.

2. Write an outline

The next step for any commencement speech is to write an outline. Breaking it up into manageable parts not only makes it feel less overwhelming, but it helps to give your speech structure, making it easier for the audience to follow. A good speech will have the following: 

• A catchy introduction
• A look back
• A look ahead
• A pithy ending

3. Pen a catchy introduction

Begin by thanking everyone for attending and for choosing you to be their speaker. Then, grab your audience’s attention from the very start with a hook. Lots of people choose to begin with a quotation that captures the theme of the whole speech. 

Example: I want to begin with a quotation from Nora Ephron: “Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead.” 

Other ways to hook your audience are by telling a short, personal story that your classmates can relate to, or by giving a statistic or question that fits with your theme. And never shy away from humor. A speech by James Glaser at Tufts University contained only questions , one being: “Would you believe that my 5’1” sister met her 5’4” husband in a short story class?” This would be a very funny way to begin a speech about meeting special people. 

4. Write a thank-you paragraph

Now your audience is paying attention, it’s time for gratitude. Thank your teachers and other staff at the school who have made a difference and tell an anecdote about someone to personalize this. 

Example: “I know I speak on behalf of all of my classmates when I thank the catering staff, who have made sure we fuel our brains with more than just fries and soda during exam times.”

Now’s the time to thank the families in the audience too. You can do a personal shout-out to your mom and dad, but be inclusive and remember that your classmates will have received support from a range of people. 

5. Look back and look ahead

The bulk of your speech will be spent talking about your time at the school and about how you see the future unfolding. Now is the time to focus on the theme that you chose, and to include stories about your shared experiences. 

If you chose to focus on overcoming adversity , recall a challenge you faced that you know a lot of other people did too. Share how a lesson you learned at school will help you after you leave, and remind everyone that you have learned much more than what was on the syllabus. 

Example: As Rita Moreno said, “The day you graduate, you do not arrive. This is not the end. This is the beginning for you. To graduate is to change gradually.” I know we’ve all changed so much already and we will continue to do so.

6. End your graduation speech

End with some advice and a call to action. Lots of people end with a quotation, and this can be from someone famous or from you. 

Example: 

• George Saunders said, “Do all the other things, the ambitious things—travel, get rich, get famous, innovate, lead, fall in love, make and lose fortunes…but as you do, to the extent that you can, err in the direction of kindness.”
• C.S. Lewis told us that “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” So let’s go find them.

Writing a great graduation speech

Beginning with a theme and an outline helps focus your speech, which should make it easier for you to write with clarity and to find the right stories and quotations to use. Telling personal stories that everyone can relate to, sprinkled with humor, is a wonderful way to keep people engaged throughout your speech. And, ending with a bang in the form of an amazing quotation will help inspire your audience and leave them feeling upbeat. 

Laura Jones

Laura is a freelance writer and was an ESL teacher for eight years. She was born in the UK and has lived in Australia and Poland, where she writes blogs for Lingoda about everything from grammar to dating English speakers. She’s definitely better at the first one. She loves travelling and that’s the other major topic that she writes on. Laura likes pilates and cycling, but when she’s feeling lazy she can be found curled up watching Netflix. She’s currently learning Polish, and her battle with that mystifying language has given her huge empathy for anyone struggling to learn English. Find out more about her work in her portfolio .

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4 High School Graduation Speech Samples That Inspire

You made it to your senior year! And the next step in your life is graduation. Congrats on being chosen to speak for your class on the big day. While public speaking can be a bit intimidating, we know you have what it takes to do an awesome job. All you need is a little inspo for your high school graduation speech. 

Not to worry. We have your back. So take a deep breath, check out our high school graduation speech examples and tips, and get ready to wow your classmates, faculty, and families. You've totally got this. 

Sample Speeches for High School Graduation

While you probably won't want to use these speeches exactly, they're definitely a great place to start. Use our sample graduation speeches to help inspire your own creativity. Click to download and edit them for your own use. If you have any trouble downloading, please review the troubleshooting guide .

Helpful Hack If you like the style or sentiment of a particular speech, think of how it applies to your own high school experience, and use that as the basis for an original speech of your own.

Sample One: How We'll Measure These Years

You're not the same group of people you were in your freshman year. And our first sample is a speech that talks about how things have changed over your high school years.

My fellow students, we only arrived here four short years ago, and now it's already time to leave. How did it all go so fast? It seems like only yesterday that we were skinny little freshmen fighting with the locks on our lockers, trying to figure out where our next class was, and looking generally clueless to all the upperclassmen. Now, we are the upperclassmen — the seniors who stand here ready to graduate and move forward in the world. Yet at this seminal moment, we can't help looking back. 

How do we measure the time we've spent in high school? In the beginning, we measured it in class periods, counting down the day to eventual freedom. As the days and weeks passed, we measured it in semesters and later in years as we moved from being those clueless freshmen to becoming sophisticated sophomores who thought they had it all figured out. By the time we reached our junior year, we were confident that we were prepared to take over for the graduating seniors, and we couldn't wait to "rule the school." 

And now here we stand. Our rule is over, and it's up to the next class to step into our shoes and take over. I know that as I look out at all of you, I will measure my time here in a much different way. I will measure it in all the friendships I've enjoyed these last four years. Some were pretty casual, and others were much closer, but I'll remember each one fondly, as I'm sure you all will, too. And when many of our high school memories begin to fade, that's how we'll ultimately measure the time we spent here, not in periods or semesters or years, but in the friendships that we made and the times we shared together. 

Congratulations my fellow graduates of the class of (Insert year). Wherever we go and whatever we do, may we always be friends when we meet again. 

Sample Two: The Future Is in Our Hands

The second example focuses more on what the future holds for a high school graduate.

We stand here today on the precipice of the future. It's not a distant reality anymore. It begins here. It begins today. 

We began high school as children, but we're leaving here as adults. We've completed a basic education that will serve as the platform we use to launch ourselves into our futures. Some of us will go on to college, and others will go straight into the workforce, but each of us will travel our own path. 

No matter where we go or what we do, there are challenges ahead of us. What I'm asking from each of you, and from myself, is to meet those challenges straight on with our heads held high and our hearts wide open. It's not enough to simply try to get by in life. That doesn't move the world forward. We must try to excel in everything we do; strive for excellence in every task, large or small. 

Although it may not be easy to see, every accomplishment we achieve is added to the world's accomplishments. Our individual successes benefit society as a whole because when we succeed, we lighten the burden on our fellow man. When we succeed, we are in a position to give rather than take. 

Imagine if every individual lived up to their own potential. Think about how amazing that would be, and how much better off the world would be. Now imagine if just half of those individuals lived up to their potential. The world would still be an awesome place. If even 1/4 of those individuals worked to make their lives successful, they could still make some amazing contributions to society. 

Well, we may not have the power to inspire the entire world to strive for success, but we do have the power to try to achieve it for ourselves. My challenge to each of you and to myself is to do all that we can to reach our full potential. If each of the (Insert number) students in this graduating class is able to do that, just imagine the effect that would have. The future is truly in our hands, so let's make the most of it. 

Sample Three: A Debt of Gratitude

Nobody's accomplishments are 100% their own—there's always someone there to provide support, inspiration, and motivation. The third sample is about giving thanks to those who have helped everyone successfully graduate from high school.

I'd like to welcome everyone to this solemn and joyous occasion. It has been a long four years, but here we are, ready to graduate. We worked hard to get to this point, but we didn't do it by ourselves. 

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the following people. To our teachers, thank you for so unselfishly sharing your time, talent, and knowledge with us. Yes, we know it was your job to do it, but what you did for us went beyond the call of duty. You took the time to explain assignments, sometimes repeatedly because we weren't paying attention. You allowed us to come to your classroom after school for extra help when you could have gone home to spend time with your family. You put in the effort to make lessons more interesting so we wouldn't just tune out. You demanded excellence from us whether or not we wanted to give it. You set the bar high and challenged us to live up to it. 

To our parents, thank you for supporting us in more ways than it's possible to count. You dragged us out of bed each morning and made sure we were fed and clothed for school. You herded us out the door to the bus stop or drove us to school yourselves. You helped us with homework, paid our class fees, and listened to our complaints. You came to our plays, attended our sporting events, and chaperoned our dances. You commiserated over our daily dramas, but you tried to give us enough space to learn how to work things out for ourselves. These are just a few of the thousands of ways you've supported us on our journey. 

To our coaches and advisors, thank you for making school about more than just classwork. Through sports, we learned how to power on through adversity and give it our best effort, win or lose. We learned the importance of discipline and good sportsmanship. Through other activities like participating in clubs, school plays, and service projects, we learned how to work closely with others to achieve a common goal, and we had a lot of fun doing it. 

To our custodial staff and lunchroom attendants, thank you for keeping our school clean and safe. You know better than anyone else what slobs we've been. You actually deserve some kind of medal. 

To our principal, vice principal, and all the office staff, thank you for keeping things running smoothly so our teachers could concentrate on us. We're better off for it. 

To our guidance counselors, thank you for listening and trying to keep us on the right track for graduation. Without your help, some of us might not be graduating today. 

As you can see, behind each graduate there must have been at least a dozen people providing support in at least a dozen ways. The best way we graduates can show our gratitude is to make the most of the opportunity we've been given and go forward into the world with the intention of making it a better place for the generations that follow us. We'll pay that debt of gratitude forward. 

Sample Four: Inspirational Moments for Life

You're getting ready to head out into the world as adults. Adulting can be hard, but you'll find all the inspiration you need inside yourself. This last sample speech is an inspirational high school graduation speech that asks each student to look back on some of the moments from high school that will inspire them forever.

While the last four years were filled with friends, classes, teachers, and work, there were also tiny inspirations hiding in plain sight. In those moments, we were too busy, too distracted, too young to notice them. As we take a retrospective look at our high school years, I hope we will all see them clearly now. 

Close your eyes and imagine, if you will, that one thing that one teacher said to you that didn’t mean much at the time, but means something now. If you can’t hear it, think harder. This is one of your inspirational moments from high school.

Now, imagine that one scary moment with that one friend inside the school walls. Think about how you both acted and how it all turned out. If you can’t see it, think harder. This is one of your inspirational moments from high school. 

Imagine, one more time, that time when you felt so proud of yourself. Think about what you accomplished and how you did it for yourself. If you can’t feel it, think harder. This is one of your inspirational moments from high school. 

The most amazing things happen in high school when we least expect them. Although we're different people with different lives, we all experience these inspirational moments that happened in high school and stay with us for life. As we look toward our future, I encourage you to take time and look for these moments. They’ll be your inspiration for life. 

Example of a Humorous Valedictorian Speech

The following video offers a great example of a graduation speech that really speaks to the graduates while being humorous, appropriate, and entertaining. If you have a natural gift for humor, a funny speech like this will be remembered long after other graduation memories have begun to fade.

Tips for Writing a Graduation Speech

Whether you're writing a speech for your homeschool graduation, as the class Valedictorian, or as a graduation thank you speech , there are a few tips for speech writing that can make your talk meaningful and memorable.

Related: Inspirational Graduation Speeches and Themes

Know Your Audience

Even though parents, faculty, and members of the community will be on hand, the focus of your speech should be your classmates. Speak to them!

Grab Their Attention

A good speech grabs the audience's attention and never lets it go. Start off with an attention-grabbing question or a humorous first line, or make a strong statement that provokes curiosity about where the speech is going. Feel free to add appropriate humor liberally. Having a theme for the speech is also helpful.

Tell Stories

Don't just read your speech. Tell your speech by interspersing emotional stories that tug at the heartstrings or inspire positive actions for the future. You might even want to include an original poem to help express your feelings.

Include Everyone

Don't just speak to the academic achievers, sports stars, or popular crowd. Your topic should be all inclusive of your graduating class.

Keep It Short, but Not Too Short

Knowing how long a high school graduation speech should be is important before you start writing. Student speeches at high school graduations are generally between five and 10 minutes long, but closer to five is ideal.

End With a Memorable Message

High school graduation speeches by students and special guests often end with a memorable and actionable sentence that encourages the audience to do something great. It's customary to end by saying, "Thank you" in your graduation speech, which you can do after your memorable one-liner.

Don't Wear Out Your Welcome

A really great commencement speech is enjoyed, not simply endured. Put some serious thought into your speech, say something meaningful, and stick to your topic so your message doesn't get lost. Above all, don't talk too long. Remember that everyone wants to receive their diplomas, shed those caps and gowns , and get on with the celebration.

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How to Write a High School Graduation Speech (+ Examples)

Amanda Green was born in a small town in the west of Scotland, where everyone knows everyone. I joined the Toastmasters 15 years ago, and I served in nearly every office in the club since then. I love helping others gain confidence and skills they can apply in every day life.

I was in several clubs in high school, I was the valedictorian, and I happened to be the youngest in our graduating class. Needless to say, I had to write and give more than one speech at our graduation.

Being asked to give a graduation speech in high school is a tremendous honor and responsibility. It takes a lot of preparation, from planning to writing and editing your speech.

My guide should show you how to write a graduation speech for high school, especially with the examples I’ve included. Follow the template and tips, and you’re sure to receive a standing ovation from your audience.

How Long Is a High School Graduation Speech?

The best high school graduation speeches aren’t long and boring since the ceremonies already take hours. Aim for an address that doesn’t exceed 10 minutes. Keep your audience’s attention and save some for other people’s speeches.

Your graduation speech should only be around 500 to 600 words. You have to read it slowly and articulate the words clearly. One way to keep it shorter is by removing cliches and other unnecessary content.

High School Graduation Speech Template

Essays and speeches usually have three parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. Here is a structure you can follow for a memorable high school graduation speech.

Introduction

• Thank people for attending. Acknowledge the presence of your teachers, parents, and fellow graduates.
• Introduce yourself. Not everyone in the room knows you, even if you’re the class valedictorian.
• Catch the audience’s attention by sharing a motivational quote or saying. Your personal narratives and advice will later be based on this saying.
• Recall memorable high school experiences. Anything is worth sharing, whether it’s a simple day in class or your debate competition.
• Encourage classmates not to forget these beautiful memories.
• Share helpful advice for this new chapter of their lives.
• Restate the quote or saying you mentioned in the introduction.
• End with a call to action that will encourage the graduates to make a difference.
• Thank the audience for hearing you out.

How to Write a Graduation Speech for High School

Public speaking takes a lot of preparation. Here are some tips you should follow when writing and delivering a graduation speech for high school.

Can We Write Your Speech?

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Pick a Theme

Inspirational high school graduation speeches leave a mark on people. If you want to create one, try building it around a central message.

Think about everything you experienced in high school and look for patterns. Was high school about learning from mistakes? Or was it about achieving big dreams with small steps? Consider not only what is essential to you but also what is important for your fellow graduates.

Once you have picked a theme, selecting a quote, including advice, and recalling high school memories will be much easier. Here are some popular themes you can consider using for yours, but make sure to choose ones that are relevant to you and/or your class.

• Embracing failure
• Big things take time
• Achieving big dreams with small steps
• Facing change with grace
• Overcoming adversity
• Becoming a lifelong learner
• Being more intentional and responsible for your future

Begin With Gratitude and a Self-Introduction

Once you step on stage, you must start with a few formalities. Know the name of the previous speakers and acknowledge their excellent speeches. Then, thank everyone in attendance, including the teachers, parents, and fellow students.

Say it’s a privilege to speak before the audience on this special day. This is also the best time to introduce yourself.

Don’t assume that everyone in the room knows who you are. State your name and why you were tasked to create the speech. Below is an example.

“Thank you, Mr. Jones, for the wonderful speech. And thank you to the parents, teachers, staff, and fellow graduates in this room who have made the past four years unforgettable. It’s a pleasure to stand in front of everyone and represent the class of 2022 at this address. I am [name], your class valedictorian.”

Make It About Everybody But You

Your graduation speech is not a mini-biography of your accomplishments. Only sprinkle a few personal anecdotes, then include what the four years of high school have been like for the other students. Below is an example.

“Four years ago, we were freshmen walking through the doors of [school name]. While some of us want to be doctors, artists, engineers, and singers in the future, we all had one goal in mind during that time: to leave a mark on the school in the next four years.”

Recall High School Memories

Tap the ceremony’s nostalgia by recalling important events from the past four years. You can include prom, school fairs, and even mundane scenarios. Include hardships, such as the sudden shift to online classes during the pandemic.

If you are a valedictorian , you should know which memories everyone treasures. Try interviewing some of your peers about their best high school memories. Below is an example.

“Every batch of graduates from [school] has a common core memory. For us, it was probably prom 2022. Instead of getting our beauty sleep the night before the dance, everyone stayed in school until 8 PM because of the last-minute changes. While that experience was full of pressure and chaos, we look back on that memory remembering teamwork and dedication.”

Share Advice

Your advice is the most crucial part of the speech. It serves as a call to action the students will follow in the future.

Make sure to keep it positive and remind everyone that anything is possible. You can also advise them to advocate for others and treat everyone equally.

Here’s an example showing what I mean.

“The future is uncertain, and the only thing we can do is be optimistic about it. We learned to stay determined in the past four years, so we can do it again throughout college or our careers.”

Incorporate Your Personality

Just because you’re speaking for the rest of the class and following an outline doesn’t mean your speech should be boring. You can still infuse your personality through humor, anecdotes , and life experiences.

You can also open your address with something funny, as long as it’s appropriate and timely. If you’re a valedictorian, self-deprecating humor will be a hit. Try adding quirky memories from classes that will immerse your audience.

Leave Your Audience Inspired

You are not at the graduation to merely receive your diploma. As a speaker, you need to leave your audience inspired on the next chapter of their lives. Encourage them to find their purpose and make a difference in the world.

Some speakers end their speeches with another quote. Here is the one I used in my high school speech, but there are tons to be found on the internet you can use that might better suit your needs.

• “All our dreams can come true… if we have the courage to pursue them.” — Walt Disney

Finally, thank everyone for taking the time to listen to your speech. Express gratitude toward your classmates for the memories over the last four years.

Proofread Your Work

Read your writing out loud and fix parts that don’t sound pleasing. Doing so will make your writing more powerful and precise. Look out for flowery language, excessive adjectives, and lengthy sentences.

When editing, make sure to remove cliches from your writing. These are words and phrases that have been overused in speech and writing. These include phrases like “all walks of life,” “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and “two wrongs don’t make a right.”

Try sharing more personal anecdotes and collective memories than tired pieces of advice. This will make the speech more interesting and customized for the audience. Find out what your fellow high school graduates and the rest of the audience want to hear and know, then write it concisely and effectively.

Once you’re done fixing clarity issues, it’s time to fix structural errors. Perform several edits on your speech to remove all spelling and grammar mistakes.

Practice Your High School Graduation Speech

There’s no exact formula for the perfect valedictorian or commencement speech. But if you follow my tips and examples and speak from the heart, your fellow graduates will live by your words as they go about their futures.

Remember to keep your engaging speech positive and inspiring. Recall memories from high school, then make them look forward to creating new ones in their careers or college.

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How to Write a Graduation Speech

Published by Boni on August 26, 2023 August 26, 2023

What is a Graduation Speech?

A graduation speech is delivered at the graduation event to congratulate the graduates and provide them with advice and motivation . The speaker could be a student or professor. Your chance to shine in front of the entire school will be during your graduation speech. This day has been long overdue, and it has now happened! The address should be brief, short and contain a blend of humor and heartfelt good wishes.

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It keeps the atmosphere at the graduation ceremony cheerful and helps the commencement speakers relax. A graduation speech is an occasion to rejoice, reflect on the previous year, and look forward. For the rest of your life, you will recall this moment. The speech needs to be brief, engaging, and peppered with humor.

Elements of Graduation Speech

Here are some key elements of the graduation speech that will make the graduation memorable and cheerful:

• Brief: Be truthful while keeping the audience interested.
• Timing: This should be shortened to fit the time provided.
• Memorable: Keep in mind to include unique events.
• Accomplishments: Celebrate accomplishments.
• Reflection: Consider important occasions and reflect on them.
• The future: knowledge and skills gained for an improved future.

Graduation is the last significant task many students must complete before summer break, even when school is practically over. Graduation ceremonies are important life events, whether finishing high school or receiving a college degree. The pressure may also mount if you have been requested to speak at the graduation.

It takes extraordinary thought and creativity to create a graduation speech since it combines art and inspiration. It is a chance to make a deep impression on the audience and the graduates. Use the stages below as a guide to help you write an engaging and memorable speech or you could alternatively use a free speech writer generator .

• Choose a topic

 Building the talk around a main subject or message will help if your goal is for the audience to leave your graduation feeling moved and motivated (Who does not, right?). As you speak, consider what matters most and what you want listeners to learn from you. Whenever you have a theme in mind, choosing quotes and stories that relate to it will be simpler, allowing you to give a speech that will amaze your audience. Discover a segment suggesting engaging informative speech topics for college students.

• Begin with brainstorming ideas

Prepare your speech by considering what you want to say. What have been your trip’s high points so far? What have you gained from this experience? Think about how you may share your experiences, obstacles, and wins with your audience in a way that will be relevant and motivating to them. Any thoughts you have should be put on paper. Try to reduce them to the most crucial or essential concepts.

• Start with gratitude

On graduation day, you must start with a few formalities before taking the stage. It would be best to begin by expressing gratitude to the audience and the previous speakers. Then, describe how it made you feel to be allowed to address the crowd at such an important event. Remember to take this step on the big day and write it down before.

For example, Thank you for coming today, [prior speaker’s name], and to friends, family, the professors, and the other graduates. It is an honor to commemorate this occasion with you.

• Personalize your speech

Sharing personal anecdotes with your audience—even ones that involve failures or humiliations—is a potent approach to establishing an audience connection and making your point. Build on your experiences as a student when you write your speech, and be specific about how those experiences have shaped and prepared you for the future.

• Infuse your personality

While graduation speeches may have a set format, that does not mean they must be monotonous. Draw on your sense of humor, original stories, and life experiences to give the speech personality and appeal. What does this look like in use? Being wholly yourself might make your speech stand out even if you are not an author or comedian. For example, you could tell the lecturer why you have ever been thrown out of the class.

• Write an outline

Once you have a general framework, write a more thorough outline that contains the precise themes and illustrations you intend to use in your speech. This will keep you on task and guarantee that your address is flowing. With primary themes and examples supporting each part, your outline should have an introduction, body, and conclusion. Make sure to think about how you want to switch between points and how you want to organize your speech as a whole. Your address will be easier to write and have a clearer, logical framework if you have a well-organized plan.

• Reflect, then look ahead

Start drafting your speech while using your outline as a reference. At this point, do not worry about making it flawless; get your ideas down on paper. Use examples and personal experiences from your own life to explain your arguments and make your writing more engaging. You can also use quotations or material from other sources to strengthen and add credibility to your opinion. Keep in mind to write with sincerity and in your voice.

• Avoid clichés

Being motivational without using clichés is challenging to accomplish while writing a graduation speech. It is doubtful you will resort to cliched, overused words if you incorporate personal tales and personality into your address. But occasionally, they still manage to get in. If that is the case, consider replacing them with a different perspective.

• Edit and revise

Once you have a draft of your speech, proceed back and revise it to ensure it flows smoothly and is error-free; pay attention to your grammar and punctuation; check for any awkward or repetitive phrasing; consider your speech’s tone and style; and make sure it is appropriate. For more extensive editing and revision, you might want to consider seeking the assistance of a tutor or writing center.

• Practice, practice, practice

Practice your speech multiple times to ensure you feel at ease addressing a crowd. Ask a friend or family member to listen to you and provide criticism while you practice in front of a mirror. Be mindful of your body language, loudness, and pacing while speaking to ensure it is clear and confident. By practicing your speech, you will grow more comfortable with the content and be better able to give it on graduation day.

• Finish with a firm conclusion

Summarize your main points and impart a memorable and motivating message to your audience. This could be a quote, a call to action, or a heartfelt thank you to your friends and family. Your speech’s conclusion should be robust and memorable to wrap things up that would make a lasting impact on your audience. Consider the message you want your fellow students to gain from your vocabulary before you write your conclusion. If you are unable to accomplish all these, you could get assistance from a reputable speech writing service .

Sample Graduation Speech Outline

Here is an outline of how to write a speech for a graduation:

1. Introduction

• Appreciate the previous speaker

Gratitude and grace should come first. Do not just thank the person who brought you to the platform; thank them for their efforts at the school. 

• Introduce yourself

Never assume that everyone in the room will be familiar with you. Please introduce yourself and state your name.

2. Main Points

• Share an inspiration message

Prepare to share a personal story or inspirational phrase with your peers. Explain how it relates to the school experiences of your class. This will be a great chance to gather and invigorate your classmates’ interest in the future.

• Share some valuable advice

This may be the most crucial section of your speech. Give some wise counsel for the future. Highlight a few of the things you might expect in the future. You might also impart wisdom on the individuals and experiences yet to come. Maintain an optimistic attitude. Remind everybody that they are capable. 

3. Conclusion

• Reaffirm your inspirational phrase

Give more context to the inspirational quotation you started with by repeating it at the end. Even though you just briefly reminisced about one of those “good times,” the future is what everyone is most excited about.

• Create a call to action

Encourage your fellow classmates to take action. Inspire them with a motivational statement that exhorts them to change the world.

• Gratitude to all

Thank everyone for their time, please. Thank them for listening to your speech and their time during the past few years’ memories.

Tips to Help you Write Graduation Speech

It takes careful planning, honesty, and practice to create a graduation speech that captures the soul of your journey and motivates the audience. You may construct a discourse recognizing your achievements and providing insightful advice for the future by reflecting on your experiences, selecting key topics, and sharing personal stories. Remember that your words can inspire, motivate, and leave a lasting impression on your fellow graduates and everyone in attendance. Below are tips on how to write a good graduation speech:

• Draft your speech

Create an outline for your speech. This would make it simpler for you to put your ideas into writing.

• Create An Introduction

You should only use a few sentences for your introduction. You should thank the previous speaker and introduce yourself in this section.

• Your speech should be memorable

Incorporate a motivational saying or remark into your speech. While maintaining focus on your speech’s initial objective.

• Match the wording to your audience

Keep your vocabulary simple enough for your readers to understand. Use terms that are more widely used or recognized. Your audience includes both adults and children. Look for phrases that appeal to the broader people.

• Edit and revise rour speech

Before giving your speech:

Make revisions. If you still have room for correction, always go back and do it.

Verify your work for spelling and grammar mistakes.

Make sure your tone is appropriate for the audience by reviewing it.

Honesty and connection are vital mechanisms for writing a memorable graduation speech. Your speech will have more meaning if you reflect on shared experiences, incorporate personal anecdotes, and embrace essential ideas. Your speech serves as an inspiration for the graduating class by addressing both previous accomplishments and anticipated difficulties. Explore the best demonstration speech ideas and topics.

Remember that keeping your speech brief and sincere helps sustain involvement. Thank everyone who helped, and after some practice, speak confidently when you deliver your message. Summarizing the key points and offering a concluding statement that sticks in the mind can help you make a lasting impact. Your commencement speech turns into a guiding light that shows the way forward.

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How to Write a Graduation Speech as Valedictorian

A good valedictory speech takes preparation and practice

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The valedictory speech is a staple of graduation ceremonies. It is usually delivered by the valedictorian (the student with the highest grades in the graduating class), although some colleges and high schools have abandoned the practice of naming a valedictorian. The terms "valedictory" and "valedictorian" come from the Latin valedicere , meaning a formal farewell, and this is core to what a valedictory speech should be.

Understand the Goal

The valedictorian speech should fulfill two goals: It should convey a "sending off" message  to the members of a graduating class, and it should inspire them to leave school ready to embark on an exciting new adventure. You likely have been chosen to deliver this speech because you've proven you are an excellent student who can live up to adult responsibilities. Now it's time to make every student in your class feel special.

As you prepare your speech , think about your shared experiences with the class and the people with whom you shared them. This should include popular and quiet students, class clowns and brains, teachers, principals, professors, deans, and other school employees. It's important to make everyone feel as if they played an important role in this shared experience.

If you have limited experience in certain aspects of school life, ask for help in collecting important names and events you might not know about. Are there clubs or teams that won prizes? Students who volunteered in the community?

Compile a List of Highlights

Make a list of highlights of your time in school, putting more emphasis on the current year. Start with these brainstorming questions:

• Who received awards or scholarships?
• Were any sports records broken?
• Is a teacher retiring after this year?
• Did your class have a reputation with teachers , good or bad?
• How many students remain from freshman year?
• Was there a dramatic event in the world this year?
• Was there a dramatic event at your school?
• Was there a funny moment everyone enjoyed?

You might need to conduct personal interviews to learn about these benchmarks.

Write the Speech

Valedictory speeches often combine humorous and serious elements. Start by greeting your audience with a "hook" that grabs their attention. For example, you could say, "Senior year has been full of surprises," or "We're leaving the faculty with lots of interesting memories," or "This senior class has set records in some unusual ways."

Organize your speech into topics describing these elements. You might want to start with an event that's on everyone's mind, such as a championship basketball season, a student featured on a television show, or a tragic event in the community. Then focus on the other highlights, putting them into context and explaining their importance. For example:

"This year, Jane Smith won a National Merit Scholarship. This may not seem like a big deal, but Jane overcame a year of illness to achieve this goal. Her strength and perseverance are an inspiration to our whole class."

Use Anecdotes and Quotes

Come up with anecdotes to illustrate your shared experiences. These brief stories can be funny or poignant. You could say, "When the student newspaper printed a story about the family who lost their home to a fire, our classmates rallied and organized a series of fundraisers."

You can sprinkle in quotes from famous people as well. These quotes work best in the introduction or conclusion and should reflect the theme of your speech. For example:

• "The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again." (Charles Dickens)
• "You will find the key to success under the alarm clock." (Benjamin Franklin)
• "There is only one success: to be able to spend your life in your own way." (Christopher Morley)

Plan for Time

Be mindful of the appropriate length of your speech. Most people speak about 175 words per minute, so a 10-minute speech should contain about 1,750 words. You can fit about 250 words onto a double-spaced page, so that translates to seven pages of double-spaced text for 10 minutes of speaking time.

Tips for Preparing to Speak

It's important to practice your valedictory speech before giving it. This will help you troubleshoot problem spots, cut boring parts, and add elements if you're running short. You should:

• Practice reading your speech aloud to see how it sounds
• Time yourself, but remember you may speak faster when you're nervous
• Focus on remaining calm
• Put aside comedy if it feels unnatural
• Be tactful if broaching a tragic topic you feel needs to be included. Consult a teacher or adviser if you have any doubts.

If possible, practice your speech using the microphone in the location where you'll be graduating—your best chance might be just before the event. This will give you an opportunity to experience the sound of your magnified voice, figure out how to stand, and get past any butterflies in your stomach .

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How to write an inspiring graduation speech

.css-26rqae{font-weight:500;} crafting a graduation speech to remember.

Giving a great graduation speech is an opportunity to leave a lasting impression on fellow graduates and the audience. If your teenager has the honor of speaking at their ceremony, try these graduation speech ideas to help them craft a unique, unforgettable address.

Start with a personal story

Sharing a personal experience can make any speech more relatable and engaging for the audience. Consider incorporating a specific moment or lesson from their life or school journey.

Keep it concise

Most graduation ceremonies have multiple time constraints to consider. The school may give your child a suggested speech length. Most college and university commencement speeches   last around 5-10 minutes, so high school speeches are typically shorter. You can guide your honoree to keep it concise and focus on delivering a few key points effectively.

Use humor wisely

Humor can make a speech memorable and help connect with the audience. But at a formal commencement, especially high school, be careful not to overdo it or use inappropriate jokes. Always keep in mind the tone and theme of the event.

Include inspirational quotes

Incorporating quotes from influential figures can add depth and meaning to a speech. Writers might choose quotes that resonate with their message and tie in seamlessly with their overall theme.

Address the audience directly

To help keep speech language engaging, it’s helpful to remember who your primary audience is. Are you speaking mainly to your fellow graduates? Parents? Teachers and faculty? Or, a combination of all. Try to acknowledge them directly during the speech. This can help create a sense of connection and community.

End on a high note

A powerful conclusion can leave a lasting impact on an audience. Consider ending your speech with an inspiring call to action or leaving the audience with a memorable quote or message.

Practice, practice, practice

It's important to practice a speech beforehand to ensure you can deliver it confidently and smoothly. It can also help identify any areas that may need improvement.

Graduation speech ideas

Here are some inspirational tidbits to help get your speechwriter started:

Share a personal story or experience that highlights the theme, such as growth and transformation.

Reflect on the challenges and triumphs of the graduating class as a whole.

Discuss the importance of resilience and perseverance in achieving success.

Give practical advice for life after high school, such as financial management or maintaining relationships.

Use humor to lighten the mood and connect with your audience.

Acknowledge the impact of teachers, parents, and mentors in shaping the graduates' lives.

Incorporate inspiring quotes from influential figures that align with your message.

Discuss the significance of community and coming together during difficult times.

Encourage graduates to envision their future and the legacy they hope to build, emphasizing the impact of setting goals and striving for excellence.

Highlight the value of lifelong learning, urging peers to remain curious and open to new experiences and knowledge.

Speak to the power of adaptability and innovation in a rapidly changing world and the graduates' role in shaping the future.

Celebrate diversity and the strength found in embracing different perspectives and backgrounds within the graduating class.

Address the idea of social responsibility and the impact each graduate can have on their community and the world at large.

Writing and delivering a graduation speech is both a responsibility and an opportunity to inspire and leave a lasting impression. By keeping your audience in mind, reflecting on your experiences, staying concise, having a clear message, acknowledging others, and practicing and editing, you can write an inspiring graduation speech worthy of remembering. 

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How to Write a Graduation Speech

Last Updated: July 24, 2021 References

This article was co-authored by Patrick Muñoz . Patrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association. There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 40,611 times.

If you are giving a graduation speech you should take your time to write a speech with your specific audience in mind that conveys a message you care about and that shows your personality! Making a worthwhile speech takes time researching, writing, editing and rehearsing, but if you put in the right effort your work will pay off and make your graduation all the more memorable. Above all, care about what you say. For example, David Foster Wallace deeply believed that school should not teach you what to think. He thought that school should teach you the freedom to decide how to think, and he gave an inspirational speech to Kenyon College in 2007 that is still being written about and talk about today. [1] X Research source

Considering the Practical Things

• It is often important that you thank certain individuals in your speech. This may mean the dean and special faculty, for example, so ask about how to address these individuals, including how to say their names.

• For example, David Foster Wallace's speech he chose to talk about not getting involved in the rat race but deciding to ignore the pressure of the world that tells you you must make lots of money and buy lots of things. Even though this speech is for the students, anyone can relate to the rat race and high expectations from the world to succeed to make lots of money just to spend it all.
• Write down a list of the different groups of students you might want to consider: honors students, athletes, students who know what they are doing after graduation, students who do not know what they are doing, etc. Make sure in your speech that you aren't assuming that all the students in attendance are attending college, if that is note the case.
• You don’t have to make your speech generic or overly general because you are writing for to a wide audience. Pick a universal theme, and you can consider adding parts to your speech that will speak to the different groups, if you like. If your theme is broad enough, like overcoming adversity through perseverance, you don't need to worry about making it appeal to different audiences. Everyone can relate to overcoming hard times.
• Make sure that your vocabulary is varied and diverse. Try not to alienate anyone in your audience. For example, if you use the word ¨benevolent" to describe your teacher, as in ¨Mr. Garcia was such a benevolent teacher¨, you can follow it up with a description that will show the meaning of the word, ¨he was always so good to us, he let us play card games in his classroom at lunch¨. [2] X Research source

• If your speech is for a smaller audience or for a less formal affair, you may want to ask about how long the past graduation speeches have gone. Perhaps the speech should be shorter, around five minutes or less.
• Remember, too, that your speech may feel a lot longer or shorter than it actually is. If you want communicate effectively, try slowing down your speech. This might mean you will have less time to say what you want to say.

• Some schools may ask you to send your graduation speech to someone who will read it first to make sure it is well developed and/or appropriate for the graduation ceremony. Additionally, you may have to practice your speech with one of the staff before the ceremony.

• For example, perhaps they dedicated a lot of time and effort as a class when they decorated a float that won a prize in a parade. You could consider incorporating that piece of information into your speech, like ¨It took me a lot of persistence and grit to get through that final term paper. However, it wasn't nearly as much work, or as much fun, as decorating that float with this class the night before the parade.¨
• Do not feel compelled to replicate that speech. You can, however, use that information to help you decide what you should write about based on your own life, values and experiences.

• Start working at least two to three weeks before you have to give your speech.
• Rehearse your speech in the place where you plan on giving it, if possible. Being familiar with the surroundings should dampen any unease or nerves.

Deciding What to Talk About

• Once you have ideas from talking to your friends or family or thinking about what you want to say start writing down experiences that match those ideas.
• For example, if you were driving toward the theme that David Foster Wallace used of learning how to think instead of what to think. You might have brainstorm about a time that you decided to learn how to knit to make all of your friends and family gifts for Christmas instead of buying them gifts. Talk about how much your grandmother loved the scarf you made her and how that ended up bonding you two together. When you think back to why you care so much about making gifts instead of buying them you realize that you want to question the pressure that is put on you to spend a lot of money to buy everyone Christmas presents. That is your theme.

• For example, you may want to talk about how giving your time to volunteer work will end up making you a happier and healthier person.
• Write out your most important life experiences and lessons learned, and decide what a main take away from those stories/lessons could be. For example, after working at the soup kitchen every weekend during my senior year, I learned life lessons from people I never expected to learn from. Homeless people who I saw freely give others some of their prized possessions ended up teaching me how to give freely.
• Some examples of common themes in graduation speeches are: believing in/liking yourself, taking risks/putting yourself out there, failing is necessary for success, giving back helps you as an individual, being persistent pays off, being okay with not being perfect, overcoming adversity, good friendships save, and there are different paths to take through life/there is no one right answer. [7] X Research source
• Giving thanks and congratulations is another style of graduation speech you can choose to write. In these graduation speeches individuals talk about all that they have come through as a class to get to graduation. They also might take more time to talk about and thank the individuals who helped them along the way.
• These speeches tend to be less focused on giving advice and the individual giving the speech and more focused on the group as a whole. Listed here is a wikiHow article on writing a graduation thank you speech. [8] X Research source

• See if you can pick out a few main themes in the graduation speech, usually it will not be very difficult to find because it will be repeated several times. Writing those down will help you see how they craft their speech around those ideas.
• For example, you could take note that David Foster Wallace uses a simple metaphor to get across his main idea. He uses the metaphor of a fish being aware that he is in water as compared to a person who realizes that he is in a society that influences us to think and act. This metaphor shows us how important it is to be aware of the obvious realities of being in society that others might miss. It also how shows us how isolating it can be to be aware.
• Likewise, think about using a similar convention, for example, a short joke or a metaphor that illustrates your main point.

• In the first speech structure, you highlight a few, typically one to four, main take-aways, or themes. You show address those ideas through personal anecdotes or nonfiction stories to impart some wisdom to the graduating class. The people who choose this structure generally feel that they have simple, yet important wisdom that might help the graduates succeed in life. For example, Steve Jobs used this structure and told just three stories about his life. The first story he told was about how he “connected the dots” in his life. [10] X Research source
• In the second structure, make a list of five to ten tips that you have acquired that you give as advice to the graduating class. If you had trouble honing in on one to three themes or take-aways, this might be a good option for you. You can highlight important things that are both big and small in this kind of speech. For example, an admiral gave a speech about the ten essential life tips he learned from the Navy that including tips to both make your bed, and never, ever give up. [11] X Research source
• In the third, you tell a condensed version of your life story. Go for this option if you feel like you have a very powerful personal story that illustrates some important ideas about how to be successful or how to overcome adversity. You don’t have to start with the beginning of your life, instead talk about the important things that have made you who you are. For example, music producer Jimmy Iovine used this structure and started his speech by talking about a rebuke John Landau gave him. Jon said, ¨this is not about you¨, and that advise gave Jimmy the courage to keep working when his ego was fed up. [12] X Research source
• In the last speech structure, you develop one main idea as an argument and use observations from life, your personal history, etc., to support this main idea. This option is good if you are really passionate about conveying one central idea to your audience that you are entirely convinced needs to be heard by everyone. This is perhaps the most difficult speech to write because it is much like writing an argument; your ideas need to be logical and well organized. For example, David Foster Wallace follows this structure. He makes a claim that the real value of education isn’t learning what to think but gaining the freedom to choose how to think. He stays with this theme and develops his ideas like an argument. [13] X Research source

• You can use humor to convey your personality. For example, Sumner Redstone, giving a speech to DeVry University, starts his speech with some self-deprecating humor that points out that people won't enjoy sitting through his speech. Redstone says that he is glad to go first in the program, and he quotes Mark Twain who recommends swallowing a frog at the start of the day to get the worst thing out of the way. Here Redstone makes himself the toad to make his audience laugh.

• Being passionate about what you are talking about will show in your delivery, as long as you practice. Speeches involve much more than the words you say, and oftentimes much more can be said through the emotions you convey when you deliver your speech. Think about all of the ways you can put emotion into a simple phrase like ¨I would die for you." A lot of meaning balances on the way you say those words.
• Practice putting emotion into your speech to give it meaning. Rehearse what you will say in front of a mirror several times to see how you look, and don't be afraid to use gestures.

• Because everyone has gone through a lot to get to this point, you may want to take a minute to genuinely congratulate them on their accomplishments.

• You should avoid these cliches because they have been overused, and the people in your audience will most likely not be inspired by these topics. [15] X Research source
• Do not confuse universal themes for cliches. Some of the best, most powerful speeches have very simple messages. For example, giving back helps you grow as an individual. Even though this theme that has been explored before and will be explored again, the theme still rings true and bears repeating.

Going Through the Steps in the Speech Making Process

• After your speech you want people to be able to easily remember what you talked about so they can discuss what you said.

• Send the same person your revisions each time you make a major edit.

• Make sure to practice your pacing, and slow down if you have a tendency to read quickly through your speech. Use a timer when you practice giving your speech in front a mirror or your family/friends.
• Practice enough times so that you have the things you want to say internalized. This means that when you go into autopilot mode in front of an audience you will be more likely to remember because of your muscle memory. [20] X Research source
• If you get stuck, look at someone you trust in the audience and breath deeply for a couple of seconds to calm yourself down while you try to collect your thoughts.

Expert Q&A

• Practice out loud until you have internalized the essential parts of your speech. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• Remember to write a speech that will speak to everyone in your audience. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• Find someone who knows about writing or speech making to help you edit your speech. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-mcguinness/david-foster-wallaces-bri_b_3239411.html
• ↑ http://blog.oup.com/2015/05/how-to-write-graduation-speech/
• ↑ http://www.graduationwisdom.com/speeches/how-to-write-a-graduation-speech.htm
• ↑ Patrick Muñoz. Voice & Speech Coach. Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.
• ↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/brainstorming/
• ↑ https://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Graduation-Thank-You-Speech
• ↑ http://www.graduationwisdom.com/speeches/0014-jobs.htm
• ↑ http://www.graduationwisdom.com/speeches/0149-Admiral-McRaven-Best-Commencement-Speeches-2014.htm
• ↑ http://www.graduationwisdom.com/speeches/0140-Jimmy-Iovine-Commencement-Speech-at-University-of-Southern-California-2013.htm
• ↑ http://www.graduationwisdom.com/speeches/0015-wallace.htm
• ↑ http://www.jostens.com/grad/grad_cp_hs_grad_guide_graduation_speech.html

About this article

To write a graduation speech, choose a structure that will help to communicate your message. For example, you could highlight a few main themes through personal anecdotes or nonfiction stories. Alternatively, you could make a list of 5 to 10 tips that you want to advise the graduating class about. If you have an interesting or powerful personal story, you can use it to illustrate important ideas, such as overcoming adversity or becoming successful. To learn how to show your personality in your speech, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Valedictorian Speech: How to Write a Valedictorian Speech

So you did it! You graduated at the top of your class. Now you have to write your Valedictorian Speech. However, since this is the first (and only) time you will ever do it, you may not know exactly how to write a valedictorian speech . You are not alone. Just about every Valedictorian or Salutatorian has gone through this. You work very hard to get to the top, and now you have five minutes to educate, entertain, and inspire your classmates. And, of course, the task is so much easier because your classmates are so accepting and non-judgmental. (Yeah, right!)

Well the outline below can show you step-by-step how to write a Valedictorian Speech (or Salutatorian Speech). This is the final part of our five part series on How to Design a Presentation . In the previous posts, we have covered how to persuade an audience , best practices for a commencement speech , and wedding toast tips . So, check out any of the other posts for additional details.

A Few Tips About How to Write a Valedictorian Speech

Before you get started with your speech, it is a good idea to Create a Theme for Your Graduation Speech . Take a look at the later half of the previous post about Graduation Speeches for ideas on possible themes. Basically, the theme is the overall point or inspiration of your speech. If you start with a good theme, all of your stories, jokes, and inspirational quotes will mesh well together.

• Start with Some Humor

(This might work if you are really short or if your friends don’t really think of you as athletic.) I remember the first time that I saw an NBA game on TV. I was memorized. The players were so big, so talented, and so athletic, that I was just hooked. I remember, jumping off the couch and running to my dad and shouting, “Dad, when I grow up, I’m going to be an NBA star!” My dad just rolled his eyes and said, “Son, graduation is tomorrow night, why don’t you just work on your speech.”

(This one works well if a superhero movie was popular when you were a kid.) I remember the first time that I saw the Batman movie. He was so cool and so rich that he could spend his nights fighting crime. I knew then and there what I wanted to be when I grew up. I jumped off the couch and ran to my mom shouting, Mom, when I grow up, I’m going to be Batman.” My Mom looked me dead in the eye and said, “You graduate next week. Stop trying to get out of delivering that speech.”

Alternatively, just tell a funny story from your experience at school. These stories are easy to prepare, and they will help you reduce your nervousness when speaking. (Stories are easy because they add some humor and are easy to remember.)

• A Fun Way to Create a Kind Of Nostalgia Feel is to Recount Things Seen in the Four Years

One of the fun things about High School is the life-long memories created in these years. If you want a little inspiration, download the old Billy Joel song, “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”

For example, you might say something like… “Since we walked into this school as freshmen, we have seen smartphone apps that help people recover from strokes. A millionaire TV star was elected president. Our baseball team won district for the first time in 22 years. Mr. Jones lost a lot more hair. (I think a lot of that was as a result of the stress that I put on him. I apologize sir.) Etc.

This type of recitation is unique to a Valedictorian or Salutatorian speech. Keep in mind that, although you are the person speaking, you are really a representation of the entire class. So, the more that you help the class relive the good times, the more that they will like your speech.

• Add an Inspirational Quote Followed by a Story From Your School Experience

If you want to continue with a little more humor, you can quote a “lyrical poet” (pop star). Although by quoting a song, you can add some humor. However, if you pick a good lyric, you can make your presentation inspirational as well. For instance, if you say something like, “One of my favorite lyrical poets… Lorde, once said, ‘If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough.'” Just make sure that the lyric is clean. (Remember, your grandma is in the audience.) Alternatively, you can pick a real inspirational quote or even a movie quote. (Just Google inspirational quote or inspirational movie quotes.) For a list of 30 song lyrics that you can choose from, visit this LifeHack article .

The most important part of this section of your speech, though is to tell a good story about your experience in school related to the quote. Although this article is about how to write a Valedictorian speech, remember that the speech is really about the entire class. So, a story that your classmates will relate to will work best. So, if you happen to use the Lorde quote, then just think about a big accomplishment of the class. Then, show how that accomplishment occurred because we dreamed big and the process was uncomfortable. So, if the baseball team won the district championship, use that. If the One-Act-Play team made it to State, then use that story. In fact, if you pick a good quote, you can use a series of some of the best accomplishments of the entire school as your evidence that the quote is true.

• End With a Call to Action

If you used the Lorde quote about dreaming big earlier in the speech, then you might end with a similar quote from a famous person. You might say something like…

Walt Disney once said, “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” So, class of [YEAR], go on to the next stage of your life with courage, and dream big enough so that is a little bit scary along the way!

There is No Magic in How to Write a Valedictorian Speech

Just remember that there is no magic pill that will help you create a great graduation speech. However, if you follow the steps above, the process should be easy and fun. If you use any of the tips, make sure to comment on the post or on our podcast. We’d love to hear how the process worked for you.

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Backlash as USC cancels valedictorian’s speech over support for Palestine

Asna Tabassum says university is ‘succumbing to a campaign of hate meant to silence my voice’ after decision to scrap speech

The University of Southern California is facing intense backlash for the decision to cancel the valedictorian speech of a Muslim student at the commencement ceremony in May, a decision which the student has criticized as being silenced by anti-Palestinian hatred for her views on human rights.

In a missive to the USC community, the university’s provost, Andrew Guzman, wrote that the Los Angeles university took the unprecedented step of canceling Asna Tabassum’s planned speech because the “alarming tenor” of reactions to her selection as valedictorian – along with “the intensity of feelings” surrounding Israel’s ongoing military strikes in Gaza – had created “substantial risks relating to security”.

Guzman’s statement did not refer to Tabassum by name, or specify what about her speech, background or political views had raised concerns. Nor did it detail any particular threats.

The decision has been met with outrage from online commenters and the Council of American Islamic Relations (Cair), the US’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, which, in a statement said Tabassum described herself as “shocked … and profoundly disappointed” after being informed on Monday that she would be barred from addressing her fellow graduates at their 10 May commencement.

So at @USC cops decide what speech is allowed?! According to the @latimes , @esouthersHVE —president of LA’s Board of Police Commissioners, law and order enthusiast and staunch LAPD apologist—“was part of the decision” to cancel valedictorian Asna Tabassum’s commencement speech. pic.twitter.com/ClO9M1atT2 — Jody David Armour (@NiggaTheory) April 16, 2024

“The university is succumbing to a campaign of hate meant to silence my voice,” Tabassum said in the statement.

Cair dismissed USC’s decision as “cowardly” and called on the university to reverse course – but Guzman maintained that “there was no free-speech entitlement to speak at a commencement”.

“While this is disappointing, tradition must give way to safety,” Guzman continued. “The issue here is how best to maintain campus security and safety, period.”

Since Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel killed more than 1,100 mostly civilians as well as captured hostages, and the resulting assault on Gaza has killed in excess of 30,000 mostly civilians – mainly women and children – while pushing the territory toward famine, US campuses have been roiled with debate over growing support for Palestine as well as dueling accusations of rising Islamophobia and antisemitism.

It was amid that climate that a USC committee selected Tabassum out of about 100 students with perfect, or nearly perfect, grade-point averages who applied to be valedictorian for a spring graduation ceremony honoring more than 19,000 graduates before an anticipated 65,000 spectators, according to Guzman.

NBC News described Tabassum as a first-generation south Asian American Muslim from Chino Hills – a city east of Los Angeles – in her fourth year as a biomedical engineering student. She has also been pursuing a minor in resistance to genocide.

At the top of Tabassum’s Instagram account, a link directs users to a slideshow encouraging readers “to learn about what’s happening in Palestine and how to help”. The presentation also advocates for “one Palestinian state”, saying that “would mean Palestinian liberation and the complete abolishment of the state of Israel”.

Although Tabassum told NBC’s Los Angeles affiliate that she posted the link five years earlier and did not author the slideshow, pro-Israel and Jewish groups objected to USC’s selection of her as valedictorian based on her social media activity.

In the Monday statement, USC said that their commencement ceremonies draw a crowd of more that 65,000 people which is a challenge for the public safety department on campus to handle. The university also cited heated demonstrations that have taken place at other schools as a part of their reasoning.

“The intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, has grown to include many voices outside of USC and has escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement,” the statement read. “We cannot ignore the fact that similar risks have led to harassment and even violence at other campuses.”

A February protest against an event organized by Jewish students at the University of California, Berkeley, resulted in police evacuating the speaker – who was from Israel – as well as the attendees at the gathering after demonstrators broke through the doors.

USC’s public safety reasoning did not sit well with Jody David Armour, a law professor at the university who specializes in race issues and legal decision-making.

“So at USC cops decide what speech is allowed?” Armour posted on X.

Tabassum said she also was told USC possessed the ability “to take appropriate safety measures for my valedictory speech” but opted not to because a tougher security posture was “not what the university wants to present as an image”.

Instead, Tabassum said USC was “caving to fear and rewarding hatred”, which she said was being directed by “anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian voices” targeting her “because of my uncompromising belief in human rights for all”.

Among those who claimed to have taken offense to Tabassum’s selection as valedictorian was the group Trojans for Israel, which said it “strongly supports the right to free expression – including informed criticism of the Israeli government”.

“However,” a statement from the group said, “rhetoric that denies the right of the Jewish people to self-determination or calls for the destruction of the only Jewish state in the world must be denounced as antisemitic bigotry.”

The group added: “All … eligible valedictory candidates have valuable work ethic and accomplishments, but the university chose a candidate who publicly propagates antisemitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric as the most esteemed representative of the class of 2024.”

Guzman’s message to the USC community said “social media presence” was not part of the criteria that the university used to evaluate its valedictorian candidates.

The leader of Cair’s Los Angeles chapter, Hussam Ayloush, on Monday said criticism of Tabassum had been “dishonest and defamatory … [and] nothing more than thinly veiled manifestations of Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism which have been weaponized against college students across the country who speak up for human rights – and for Palestinian humanity”.

Ayloush also said: “USC cannot hide its cowardly decision behind a disingenuous concern for security.”

In her statement, Tabassum said her undergraduate minor studies in genocide resistance had shown her the danger of allowing “cries for equality and human dignity” to be deliberately conflated with “expressions of hatred”.

“Due to widespread fear, I was hoping to use my commencement speech to inspire my classmates with a message of hope,” she wrote.

Reuters contributed to this report

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• Israel-Gaza war
• Palestinian territories

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Outside speakers axed from University of Southern California ceremony over valedictorian flap

The university of southern california said its scheduled outside graduation speakers and honorees will no longer attend next month's ceremony following controversy involving the school's valedictorian.

The University of Southern California has canceled appearances from outside speakers and honorees at next month's graduation ceremony following a wave of criticism over the school's decision to stop the valedictorian from giving a graduation speech.

The Los Angeles school announced on Monday that Asna Tabassum would not deliver her speech after the discussion about her selection took on "an alarming tenor" on social media.

"Given the highly publicized circumstances surrounding our main-stage commencement program, university leadership has decided it is best to release our outside speakers and honorees from attending this year’s ceremony," USC said in a Friday update . "It is important that our full attention be on our remarkable graduates."

The university said it will delay giving out honorary degrees at ceremonies, including commencement speaker Jon Chu, director of "Crazy Rich Asians." Honorary degrees were also set to go to tennis legend Billie Jean King, National Endowment for the Arts chair Maria Rosario Jackson and National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt.

The school did not name which commencement speakers are still scheduled to speak. Previously scheduled outside speakers include "Never Have I Ever" star Jaren Lewison for the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and Korean filmmaker Miky Lee for the School of Cinematic Arts.

The university did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.

Provost cited security risks after social media outrage

USC's decision marks the first time the school has ever prevented its valedictorian from speaking at graduation.

Provost Andrew Guzman said officials were concerned by the social media outrage following the naming of Tabassum as USC's valedictorian. Critics complained about Tabassum's social media, which includes an Instagram bio that links to a pro-Palestine website, arguing that she spouted "anti-semitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric."

"The intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, has grown to include many voices outside of USC and has escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement," Guzman said in a statement Monday. "This decision is not only necessary to maintain the safety of our campus and students, but is consistent with the fundamental legal obligation."

He said officials could not ignore that similar risks have previously led to harassment and violence at other campuses. He added that the school's Department of Public Safety and campus safety team are evaluating potential threats for the ceremony, which typically draws around 65,000 people.

Tabassum says USC abandoned her

Tabassum, a South Asian-American and Muslim who studies biomedical engineering and resistance to genocide, issued a statement after USC's decision.

"I am not surprised by those who attempt to propagate hatred. I am surprised that my own university—my home for four years—has abandoned me," Tabassum said in the statement, issued through the Council on American-Islamic Relations Los Angeles branch.

She said anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian voices led a "campaign of racist hatred" toward her and "an uncompromising belief in human rights for all."

Campus protest stands by Asna Tabassum

Students, faculty and pro-Palestinian activists rallied at the University of Southern California campus Thursday to protest the cancelation of Tabassum's speech.

Many held signs that read "Let Asna Speak" while chanting, "Let her speak!" Supporters voiced that Tabassum is their rightful valedictorian and that the school is silencing her.

"One of the most gifted girls I have ever met," student Kaiser Kuresi told CBS News . "This university is trying to silence her."

"This campus has been hostile to Muslim voices, Palestinian voices, people who are calling out the genocide happening," USC senior Maideh Orangi told the Los Angeles Times . "This is just another example of that."

The 2024 commencement ceremony remains scheduled for Friday, May 10.