QOTD 5/20

minionlover

 I saw on the news this morning that Sandra Bullock gave a high school graduation speech that they "would never forget".

Do you remember anything about the guest speakers from your high school or college graduation?

catwine

I'm pretty sure my high school grad didn't have a speaker, other than the valedictorian.  I remember the local Member of Provincial Parliament was there, shaking hands with students as they received their diploma...the grad ceremony was the fall after we graduated and a classmate had been running against the current MPP.  Everyone booed when they shook hands.  It was mean, but funny.

goatlady12

I don't remember any of the speeches at all.

ramstein1027

I remember the girl said something kind of rude, but I have no clue what it is now.  

WillyH19

Our high school speaker made the same speech at all of the local high schools. I have no memory of the speaker from my college graduation.

consciousdear88

I think the only people that spoke at my high school one were the valedictorian and whatever the terminology is for who came in second. When I graduated college, they brought in a lady who was apparently homeless and earned a ride to some Ivy League college (I later found out there was a lifetime movie about her)

Despite the prestigious education, her speech came across so dry and boring. I wanted to sleep.

I'm jealous of this year's graduates. I'm still friends on Facebook with one of my old professors so I found out apparently they had actor Jeffrey Tambor give the speech.

pockysquirrel

When I got my bachelor's degree, my college decided to take the chance of having graduation outside despite there being a possibility of rain. Well, it rained. A lot. And the lot of us were sitting outside in it getting drenched. The cardboard in our caps was melting. It was ridiculous. So all I remember of the speeches was that they were (mercifully) cut short so we could walk the stage, go inside and dry off.

When I got my master's degree, we had both a schoolwide ceremony and a departmental ceremony. The keynote speaker at the schoolwide ceremony was an author - whose name is completely escaping me - who had written a book on climate change. And she talked a bunch about climate change. And I remember thinking "this is really important stuff, but totally inappropriate for a graduation speech".

And the speaker at the department ceremony was one of my favorite professors. She is all of 5 foot nothing and wasn't tall enough to reach the podium, so we had to find her a box.

brainybrunette

There was some drama surrounding my high school graduation speaker. Long story short....

My father left my mom when she was pregnant with me. I never met him (I found out that he died in 2006). About a month before my high school graduation (June 2003), I found out that the speaker was a local news anchor....who just happens to be my father's brother (aka my uncle). To make an uncomfortable situation even worse, I had to sit directly across from him at graduation, since I graduated as #4 in my class and the top students had assigned seats. I saw him reading the program, and since I won a ton of awards, I know my name was in there a bunch of times. However, he never acknowledged me...no surprise there. I didn't listen to a word of his speech...instead, I wanted to crawl in a hole until it was all over. So much for it being a happy day : /

mana8503

Seipel12 said:

I don't remember any of the speeches at all.

This.

ramstein1027

Nic12184 said:

There was some drama surrounding my high school graduation speaker. Long story short....

My father left my mom when she was pregnant with me. I never met him (I found out that he died in 2006). About a month before my high school graduation (June 2003), I found out that the speaker was a local news anchor....who just happens to be my father's brother (aka my uncle). To make an uncomfortable situation even worse, I had to sit directly across from him at graduation, since I graduated as #4 in my class and the top students had assigned seats. I saw him reading the program, and since I won a ton of awards, I know my name was in there a bunch of times. However, he never acknowledged me...no surprise there. I didn't listen to a word of his speech...instead, I wanted to crawl in a hole until it was all over. So much for it being a happy day : /

Ugh that majorly sucks @nic!  Chad's dad walked out on him too, so I'm familiar with the aftermath.  On the bright side, look at you now with your fancy schmancy doctorate!

Purdue didn't have speakers when I graduated, and my law school speech was just a person from our class.  But I do remember something she said because it was from one of my favorite professors of all time, who sadly passed away before graduation.  He said "you're smart enough, and you know it."  He said that to my Civil Procedure class our first year right before our final exam.  I don't know if you have seen movies or read books about 1L year, but it is when you are pretty much constantly made to feel like shit and broken down at every opportunity, and competition is fierce, and for the first time in your life you feel like the dumbest person who has ever lived.  So he was this big fancy Harvard guy and probably an actual genius, and to have him say something actually encouraging when we were all floundering and stressed to the max really was special and the only positive reinforcement we got.  Sometimes I still remember that phrase when something comes up that I haven't dealt with before, or if I'm in court and don't know what the hell I'm doing (happened a lot), or if some old dude lawyer is treating me like a bimbo sorority girl I remember "You're smart enough; and you know it."  I just love that.

islandmonkey8

I remember my high school speeches being good, but can't remember what anyone said. I don't really remember my college graduation one at all.

minionlover

I have no idea who the guest speaker was for high school. The only thing I remember is Mickey and Minnie showing up because the class gift was to Make a a Wish Foundation.

The guest speaker was Elliot Spitzer for college. Ya know the former NYS governor who left office because he liked his prostitutes so much....

LDubHawksFan

No idea!

xxjen015

I have no idea who the speaker was at my HS graduation. We had some political figure speak at my college graduation. Last year Michelle Obama spoke at my HS's graduation....our speaker wasn't that noteworthy, obviously!

DanaOcNy

I have no memory of any speaker from my high school, under grad, graduate, or doctorate graduations !

sjs1013

The speaker at my high school was a science teacher who was retiring.  She was so down to Earth and a great teacher.  It was nice to have her send us off.

In college, it was some woman who was getting an honorary PhD from my school.  I didn't understand her tie to the school and why they were giving her an honorary degree.  She didn't have anything interesting to say that I remember.