Mentor Moments on Commencement Podiums: What Ten Epic Speakers Want Grads to Know
As we shake confetti off graduation gown sleeves and slide commencement programs into scrapbooks, it’s natural to try to preserve the day. To capture favorite moments on camera and hold words that matter close to heart. And whether you had a graduate under your roof this year or simply cheered for friends and neighbors, the wisdom shared during 2026 ceremonies is worth noting, savoring and sharing.
In honor of epic commencement speakers and every grad grinning, here’s a fast Top Ten Commencement Speeches that landed with impact and left us with inspo. Feel free to bookmark or share - and add your own wise words to pass along in the comments.
Caps hang in the air only a moment - the insight we hear at the mic lasts a liftetime...
1. Queen Latifahat North Carolina A&T State University whose ovation-worthy message centered on confidence, standing up and standing out. “Be delusional enough,” this legend encouraged the class,” to call yourself something the world hasn’t called you yet.”
2. Jane Lynch at Cornell University who, amid raucous laughter and applause, urged her alma mater to lighten up, "loosen your grip," have faith, and…show up as a kind, present human being. Worried about the future, she inquired rhetorically? “Snap out of it.”
3. Lindsey Vonn at University of Southern California (USC) accepting applause for walking gingerly to the podium and reassuring graduates that they need only to "[s]tep into your own gate” to start. “Dare to dream,” she continued, “Jump. Because the only real failure in this life is not trying.”
4. Denise Forte at University of Pennsylvania zeroing in on role models in education as the President and CEO of EdTrust, and announcing that "while we all falter from time to time, our determination will remain unfailing."
5. Hilary Duff at Northeastern University reflecting on a storied career while noting that “[w]hat you do might change, but who you arenever has to.” “Remember,” she continued, “you’re not just building a career or a resume; you’re building a life. You are the architect of your own happiness.”
6. Amy E. Hood at Duke University who, circling back to her alma mater as Microsoft’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, noting that throughout her career, “[e]very step, every risk I took, built confidence."
7. Fran Harris at University of Texas at Austin speaking as a WNBA champion and legendary Longhorn captain to say "you can work your hardest and win, [but you must still] embrace every twist in your journey."
8. Misty Copeland at Wake Forest University urging new graduates to surprise themselves. “I hope your understanding of success evolves,” she went on. “Because if your definition of success never changes, you may end up chasing a version of happiness that no longer fits who you are becoming.”
9. Hoda Kotb at Fordham University spreading joy by leaning into the mic to say, “Believe in your ability to make it anywhere. You belong in every boardroom, every mountaintop, every C-suite. [...] If you’re not ready when opportunity knocks, take the opportunity anyway.”
10. Coming up: Three-time Olympic gold medal winner, UCLA alumna and lauded philanthropist Jackie Joyner-Kersee will deliver the commencement on June 12th.
What will her advice contain? What wise words will ring in graduate ears long after the cheers gave faded and the confetti has been swept away?
Who can say?
What we do know with the certainty of hard-won and ink stained diploma is that her words will harmonize with those of other 2026 speakers to celebrate and support next steps taken by new graduates.
We couldn't be prouder of each of these students and we join their families and friends in a chorus of cheers. Have wisdom of your own to add to the mix? Leave it in the comments or DM it directly - we'll pass it along!
Looking forward with applause and deep admiration for the Class of 2026,
Illana
ÊXTRAS: Three more epic 2026 commencement addresses you won't want to miss: Jess Steier's address to NYU's School of Global Public Health, NPR anchor Deborah Amos speaking to SUNY New Paltz and Ashley Judd's remarks to the New England Institute of Technology.
