Graduation speech

A graduation or commencement speech, in the U.S., is a public speech given by a student or by alumnus of a university to a graduating class and their guests.

Common themes of the graduation speech include wishing the graduates well in the "real world," cautioning that the world of academe is a special place where they were taught to think (a common variation contradicts this view).

Most recently, especially in prestigious institutions, the trend has been to find a celebrity (often one with no apparent connection to the specific institution or education in general) or a politician to deliver speeches.