May 2021 Commencement Student Speaker Application Now Open
LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 19, 2021) — Following school tradition, the University of Kentucky May 2021 Commencement ceremonies will feature a student speaker to deliver a three-to five-minute address to those physically in attendance and those participating virtually.
Applications are available online at https://commencement.uky.edu/student-speakers and are accepted now through 5 p.m. EDT Friday, April 16.
Students interested in applying must be a May 2021 graduate participating in person at the ceremonies. Interviews will be held the week of April 26 and are flexible to be scheduled around the applicant's existing commitments.
Application materials include a resume with detailed activities, work experience and accomplishments achieved during the applicant's study at UK. A summary of no more than three typed, double-spaced pages of the applicant's proposed speech and a completed online application are required.
Incomplete applications are unable to be considered by the selection committee. Documents are required to be submitted in PDF format with the applicant's first and last name.
Also, applicants must have contributed to the university through campus and community activities or through their chosen field of study and present evidence of demonstrated public speaking ability. Applicants must be willing to present their address to the Commencement Speaker Selection Committee and be available for a possible short interview and speech demonstration.
As previously announced, the university will hold in-person ceremonies for May 2021 graduates at Rupp Arena over the weekend of May 14-16. May, August and December 2020 graduates are invited to participate along with May 2021 graduates.
The deadline to register to participate in May 2021 Commencement, either in-person or virtual, is 5 p.m. EDT Friday, March 26. For more information regarding registration, please visit https://commencement.uky.edu/registration.
Please contact the Commencement graduate assistant, Sally Martin, at commencement@uky.edu for any additional questions.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.