{"id":7122,"date":"2026-06-29T11:25:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T15:25:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/commencement\/?page_id=7122"},"modified":"2026-06-29T11:25:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T15:25:14","slug":"call-for-commencement-senior-speaker","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/commencement\/call-for-commencement-senior-speaker\/","title":{"rendered":"Call for Commencement Senior Speaker"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the most meaningful moments in the Bates Commencement ceremony is the address delivered by a senior class member. The senior speaker reflects on their Bates experience and speaks on behalf of the class. It&#8217;s a great honor and a wonderful opportunity to share your thoughts about what Bates means to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/academics\/files\/2023\/12\/Senior-Speaker-Photo-1-3.webp\" alt=\"student speaker\" class=\"wp-image-8132\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-garnet-bright-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1 wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>SENIOR SPEAKER ELIGIBITY:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Graduating students wishing to apply to be the Commencement Senior Speaker must meet the following criteria:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Applicants must be Seniors graduating in May 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Applicants must be in good academic and disciplinary standing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The selected senior must commit to attend the Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 31, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-garnet-bright-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2 wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>SELECTION PROCESS<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Selection Committee reviews all the applications and will select three finalists who will be invited to the in-person auditions in April. After the in-person auditions, the Committee will recommend one student to the president. The president makes the final decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-garnet-bright-color has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>SPEECH GUIDELINES<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your speech should be reflective of the excellence and rigor of a Bates education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A great speech blends the specific (a personal story) with the general or universal (world of ideas, your broader communities).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your speech should inspire, encourage, and\/or reflect on the vision and hope of the graduating class. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your speech should be respectful of the Commencement occasion, and all the community gathered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your speech should be 5 minutes in length.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-garnet-bright-color has-text-color wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>HOW TO SUBMIT:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To be considered, please complete the <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.gle\/Dj6d6tLPt2ZPJfH46\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLSeEAareC9BhbXxe59uZtblGQe9dZrHlzvgyGIBeKtUHGNgptw\/viewform\">Submission Form<\/a> by <strong>Wednesday, March 18, 2026<\/strong>, at 11:59PM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more information, please contact Assistant Dean Edili Lopez at <a href=\"mailto:elopez2@bates.edu\">elopez2@bates.edu<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the most meaningful moments in the Bates Commencement ceremony is&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_hide_ai_chatbot":false,"_ai_chatbot_style":"","associated_faculty":[],"_Page_Specific_Css":"","_bates_restrict_mod":false,"bates_author_byline_override":"","_hide_page_title":false,"_header_override":"","_template_width_override":"","_page-specific-tagline":"","_dimp_site_id":"","_dimp_override_contact":false,"_table_of_contents_display":false,"_table_of_contents_location":"","_table_of_contents_disableSticky":false,"_is_featured":false,"_sidebarChoice":"","footnotes":"","_bates_seo_meta_description":"","_bates_seo_block_robots":false,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_id":0,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_twitter_id":0,"_bates_seo_share_title":"","_bates_seo_canonical_overwrite":"","_bates_seo_twitter_template":""},"class_list":["post-7122","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7122"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7122\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7123,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7122\/revisions\/7123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/commencement\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}