A Message to Inspire
Want to leave your mark? Apply to speak at your commencement ceremony!Share your story and motivate the next generation — your words could leave a lasting impact!
Questions?
Orientation and Family Engagement
The Center for Public Speaking
Lacey Brown, Director of the Center for Public Speaking
Email:LBrown@ut.edu
Location: Ferman Center for the Arts (FCA), Room 228
Office of Orientation and Family Engagement
Email:commencement@ut.edu
Phone: (813) 257-1999
Location: Vaughn Center (VC), Room 210
At each commencement ceremony, one graduating student is selected to serve as theChallenge Speaker—a unique tradition at the University of Tampa. The Challenge Speaker offers a short, two-minute speech that inspires and challenges their fellow graduates as they celebrate this milestone.
This is more than just a speaking opportunity—it’s a chance to represent your class, share your voice and leave a lasting impact on your peers, faculty, University leadership and all the guests gathered for commencement.
If you are passionate about motivating others and want to celebrate your UTampa journey by encouraging your fellow graduates, we invite you to apply for this honor.
- Eligibility
- How to Apply
- Speech Guidelines
Eligibility
The application for Student Challenge Speaker is open to all graduating students. One speaker will be selected for each commencement ceremony from the pool of applicants attending that ceremony.
For the December 2025 ceremony, eligibility includes:
- Students completing their final coursework in December 2025 or January 2026
- Students who graduated in Summer 2025 but did not participate in the May 2025 Commencement
How to Apply
To be considered, students must collaborate with the University’s Center for Public Speaking and complete the following by the application deadline:
- Meet with a Center for Public Speaking tutor
- Film your speech with the Center for Public Speaking
- Complete the online application form (provided after your Center appointment) by Oct. 12
If selected, the Challenge Speaker is also required to meet at least once more with the Center for Public Speaking to practice their delivery at least three weeks prior to commencement. Failure to complete this requirement may result in the student being replaced by an alternate speaker.
Speech Guidelines
The speech should be uplifting and issue a challenge to the graduating class as they leave the University of Tampa and go out into the world. We recommend reading through the tips section below to best prepare.
The speech is limited to a maximum of 2 minutes—about 500 written words.
Ready to wow the crowd?
Tips for a Successful Speech
There is no formula that can sum up what makes a successful commencement speech, but here is a list of some of the qualities of such a speech,and alsosome approaches that are generally to be avoided.
Content
A successful speech should convey a message that is both personal to the speaker and meaningful to a wide audience. While personal stories can inspire, they may not automatically resonate with strangers, and shared experiences with fellow University of Tampa students might require context. A commencement speech doesn’t have to focus on personal anecdotes; it can also present a thesis or argue for a cause the speaker feels is overlooked or unpopular.
Originality
Some spark of originality is essential, but sincegenuinelynew ideas are rare, originality is often achieved by approaching a familiar thought from an unexpected direction or expressing it in a way that feels freshly created. The original element may be a vivid image or metaphor that stimulates the audience’s imagination and keeps their attention.
é
é are expressions that are so often used as to sound trite (e.g., “Rome wasn’t built in a day”); examples with a university setting would include “ivy-covered walls” and “the groves of Academe.” Such expressions represent the opposite of original writing.
Quotations
An apt quotation can enliven a speech or help put across a point effectively. Too many quotations in a short speech, however, give the impression that the persons quoted, rather than the speaker, are doing most of the work. Furthermore, some quotations are so familiar as to constitute clichés (see above); for example, “we have nothing to fear but fear itself” (FDR) or “ask not what your country can do for you” etc. (JFK). Other often-quoted persons include Ralph Waldo Emerson and Winston Churchill; ingeneralit is best to avoid quoting such figures unless you have uncovered one of their little-known gems.
Humor
Wit is a component of many successful commencement speeches, but your role as a speaker is not merely to entertain, but also to prompt thought and reflection. Humor is most likely to be effective when it is inclusive; sarcasm and negative forms of humor will tend to alienate your audience rather than amuse them.
Practice
Read your speech aloud. You’ll be able to hear awkward wording or moments when your sentiments don’t ring true. Read it to others and ask them to comment on the content, too. Get feedback and rewrite the parts that need polishing.
Ready to wow the crowd?
Tips for a Successful Speech
There is no formula that can sum up what makes a successful commencement speech, but here is a list of some of the qualities of such a speech,and alsosome approaches that are generally to be avoided.
Content
A successful speech should convey a message that is both personal to the speaker and meaningful to a wide audience. While personal stories can inspire, they may not automatically resonate with strangers, and shared experiences with fellow University of Tampa students might require context. A commencement speech doesn’t have to focus on personal anecdotes; it can also present a thesis or argue for a cause the speaker feels is overlooked or unpopular.
Originality
Some spark of originality is essential, but sincegenuinelynew ideas are rare, originality is often achieved by approaching a familiar thought from an unexpected direction or expressing it in a way that feels freshly created. The original element may be a vivid image or metaphor that stimulates the audience’s imagination and keeps their attention.
é
é are expressions that are so often used as to sound trite (e.g., “Rome wasn’t built in a day”); examples with a university setting would include “ivy-covered walls” and “the groves of Academe.” Such expressions represent the opposite of original writing.
Quotations
An apt quotation can enliven a speech or help put across a point effectively. Too many quotations in a short speech, however, give the impression that the persons quoted, rather than the speaker, are doing most of the work. Furthermore, some quotations are so familiar as to constitute clichés (see above); for example, “we have nothing to fear but fear itself” (FDR) or “ask not what your country can do for you” etc. (JFK). Other often-quoted persons include Ralph Waldo Emerson and Winston Churchill; ingeneralit is best to avoid quoting such figures unless you have uncovered one of their little-known gems.
Humor
Wit is a component of many successful commencement speeches, but your role as a speaker is not merely to entertain, but also to prompt thought and reflection. Humor is most likely to be effective when it is inclusive; sarcasm and negative forms of humor will tend to alienate your audience rather than amuse them.
Practice
Read your speech aloud. You’ll be able to hear awkward wording or moments when your sentiments don’t ring true. Read it to others and ask them to comment on the content, too. Get feedback and rewrite the parts that need polishing.
