Two graduating MSU seniors were chosen to represent the class of 2003 at commencement ceremonies.
History and sociology student Steven Serling and mechanical engineering student Karena Heikkila each will present a speech to the graduating class this Saturday at Breslin Center.
About eight students submitted speeches to MSU's Senior Class Council to compete for the opportunity to address thousands of fellow classmates at graduation.
Senior Class Council President Carrie Dietiker reviewed each application and decided Heikkila and Serling would be the best representatives for this year's class.
"They both had well-written speeches and were well-prepared and kept us interested in what they had to say," Dietiker said. "Both students were very involved in college and on campus events, and it was important to find people involved in more than school work, so they are able to touch a lot of different students."
At 10 a.m. Saturday, Serling will present his speech on his college experiences and the important opportunities available to MSU students.
During his years at MSU, he was active with the Multi-Racial Unity Living Experience, or MRULE, an organization which helps students in residence halls contribute to positive race relations. Serling also represented the organization as a speaker for Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2002.
Heikkila said the speech she will give at 2 p.m. Saturday will focus on the importance of diversity and how it is able to bring people from different cultures together at MSU.
"I come from the U.P., where there isn't very much diversity," she said. "And when I came to MSU, people say I was a little culture-shocked, but it was good because I was able to learn so many things about other cultures."
Heikkila said she couldn't believe she was chosen to recite her speech at graduation.
"I was shocked," she said. "I didn't really think that I was going to do it because I thought that it was a long shot."
But Heikkila said she felt a hidden confidence that her commencement address would be one of the top contenders with the other submissions.
"The whole time I was writing my speech, I envisioned me up there in front of my class saying my speech," Heikkila said.
Heikkila said although she has been ailing with a sore throat all week, she isn't worried about presenting her speech in front of thousands of students.
"I'm not nervous at all," Heikkila said. "I just hope my voice gets better by this weekend."
Heikkila advises students to take advantage of all that MSU has to offer before they walk down the aisle at graduation.
"MSU offers some very important opportunities and many of them go unused," Heikkila said. "There are things you can do here if you just put a little effort into what MSU offers outside the classroom."
