Jhonelle Moore ’25 never had the chance to walk across a stage for her high school graduation. An international student from Jamaica, Moore recalled how COVID-19 restrictions abruptly ended her final year. “We kind of just left school — there was no goodbye ceremony,” Moore told The Daily Princetonian. “We never got a chance to really experience that final year, so it’s going to be really exciting to have that type of experience at Princeton.”
For Moore and many members of the Class of 2025 who finished high school amid the pandemic, May’s commencement events will be their first fully in-person graduation.
Class Day is a key tradition that takes place before the ceremony, which features speeches from students and the University president, the presentation of awards for academic and athletic achievements of graduating students, and a guest speaker selected by the senior class. In past years, speakers have included Anthony Fauci (2022), Trevor Noah (2021), and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) (2018).
The ‘Prince’ spoke to half a dozen seniors about their preferences for the Class Day speaker and what they hoped the speaker would bring. Some students cited prominent figures such as Michelle Obama ’85, Roger Federer, and Elena Kagan ’81. But above all, many expressed a desire for someone with a humorous and uplifting tone, given the current political climate and the more formal nature of other graduation speeches.
“There’s one Princeton alum that I love so much,” Leena Memon ’25 told the ‘Prince.’ “Her name is Yasmin Elhady MPP ’15 — I think she’s hilarious.” Elhady, a graduate of the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) Master’s in Public Policy, is a stand-up comedian and attorney with over 160,000 followers across social media platforms.
“She gives a really good perspective on not just political events, but social stigmas and different things that I think would fit very well,” Memon said. Memon also mentioned U.S. Supreme Court justices Sonia Sotomayor ’76 and Kagan as possible choices.
Moore expressed that she “would like someone who is funny, because I love laughing — someone who knows how to crack a good joke, who has an unproblematic history.”
“It would be great to have a woman like Michelle Obama,” Moore said.
In the past decade, the highest-rated Class Day speakers based on the Bosworth Prime Score have predominantly come from the arts and entertainment industry. The Bosworth Prime Score compares Google Trends search scores of a given individual to F. Scott Fitzgerald. Among them, only two — Trevor Noah in 2021 and Ellie Kemper ’02 in 2019 — have been comedians, though Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart, and Chevy Chase delivered Class Day speeches in 2003, 2004, and 2005, respectively.
Brandon Cheng ’25 did not name a specific speaker, but pointed out that Jerome Powell ’75, the current Chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve and this year’s Baccalaureate speaker, will likely take a more serious tone — something he values and anticipates will be “very inspiring.”
For Class Day speaker, Cheng told the ‘Prince’ that he hopes to “have someone who’s able to speak more towards humor and the day-in and day-out aspects of life” to balance out the tone of Powell’s speech.
Other students are eager for the opportunity to hear from an internationally renowned speaker — someone widely known and recognizable across different audiences.
“I think perhaps an international or non-American speaker would be impactful,” Leena Bennetto ’25 wrote to the ‘Prince.’ Bennetto also expressed hopes of an athlete being chosen as the speaker, describing sports as a common thread that unifies “American and international students alike.”
“I’m insanely jealous of Dartmouth getting Roger Federer last year,” Bennetto continued. In the 21st century, none of Princeton’s Class Day speakers have been athletes.
Last year’s speaker was Law and Order actor Sam Waterston.
“Many of my peers and I would just like to see a name that we recognize,” Jenna Elliott ’25 wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “I hope that the Class Day speaker adopts a reflective and empowering tone. Their lecture is a wonderful opportunity to share guiding words and wisdom with the class that can serve as inspiration or reassurance for the coming post-graduation years,” she stated.
Meera Kochhar ’25 wrote to the ‘Prince’ that she would like the speaker to be in the field of mental health and wellbeing, which she feels “is very important given the rising mental health crisis in this country, especially amongst young people given the current political climate.”
Some students did not have a strong preference for the Class Day speaker. “Unfortunately, I haven’t really given it a single thought,” Simon Gotera ’25 wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “That said, I don’t think I’m representative of the community as a whole — I just tend to value more personal and concrete aspects of the University experience.”
The Class Day speaker, which has typically been revealed in late March, is determined by the Class Day Committee, which is composed of members from the graduating class. Graduation events for the Class of 2025 begin with Baccalaureate service on Sunday, May 25, followed by the Class Day exercises on Monday, and Commencement on Tuesday.
“They definitely have a lot to choose from, especially given the political and global events that have taken place over the last year,” Memon said.
Sena Chang is a senior News writer for the ‘Prince’ from Tokyo, Japan. She typically covers campus and community activism, the state of higher education, and alumni news.
Sara Mashiat is a News contributor for the ‘Prince’ from Queens, New York.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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