As the 2025 school year comes to an end and graduation is around the corner, the KHS administration opened up graduation speaker auditions to the Latin Honors Graduates. Seniors Regan McClain and Gabe Newland were chosen to speak at this year’s commencement ceremony.
The process of picking a speaker was not easy as the students had to audition in front of board members and other students who were also auditioning. In order to apply, students had to make a speech, get two letters of recommendation and write an essay about why they want to be a speaker. After applying, all the applicants share the best two minutes of their speech in front of a panel of judges. Ultimately, two speakers were chosen to speak at graduation.
“Getting chosen to be a speaker meant a lot. I remember freshman year setting a goal for myself to be a speaker at graduation and I just feel like I have really achieved that goal for my younger self,” McClain said.
She added that she “definitely felt nervous during the auditions.”
“I didn’t know what to expect going into it,” she said. “I kind of just hoped for the best and made sure to put forth my best effort.”
Newland felt a great sense of relief when learning he would be speaking at graduation.
“I don’t feel extremely prideful or better than anyone because I’m able to speak,” he said. “I more excited and grateful for the opportunity to share the lessons and messages I want to tell everyone at graduation.”
Both McClain and Newland spent a lot of time brainstorming ideas and working on their speeches. McClain wanted to be sure to include topics that were important and valuable for her classmates.
“I wanted to find something that I could personally resonate with,” Newland said. “My speech is partially advice to myself, a reminder that there’s always something to look forward to and that what makes me different is what makes me valuable. I spent a whole Sunday afternoon and evening by myself thinking about what to write about and how to write it.”
Despite setting a goal during her freshman year, McClain’s experiences this year helped her prepare.
“The Kokomo CEO program really helped me step outside of my comfort zone and gain confidence in speaking in front of people and this confidence within myself allowed me to really feel comfortable applying to be a speaker,” she said.
As they prepare to speak next week, Newland hopes his speech leaves his classmates prepared for their next steps.
“I want to encourage using your past successes and mistakes as a foundation for growth and improvement, as there is something to be learned from everything that happens in everyone’s life,” he said. “Everyone is unique and has their own complex lives, and that’s what’s important, we shouldn’t strive to become “more successful” than one another, rather, to discover our own identity of who we are and our version of success and embrace our differences.”
