Updated June 16, 2025 at 10:47 AM ET
As college graduates across the country turn their tassels to the left and step into a world full of possibilities — and uncertainties — this year's commencement speakers have given moving speeches offering a mix of humor, heart and hard truths.
At the University of Maryland in College Park, the most unexpected speaker might have also been the most beloved so far this graduation season — Kermit the Frog.
"You're all here to listen to a frog in a very tiny cap and gown give a commencement speech," the Muppet's character joked, before offering advice about collaboration and compassion.
"Rather than jumping over someone to get what you want, consider reaching out your hand and taking the leap side by side. Because life is better when we leap together," he advised.
Actress Jennifer Coolidge brought her signature wacky sense of humor to Emerson College in Boston, urging students to dream big — even when their dreams are probably impossible to achieve, at least with a college degree.
"My mother had a magazine in the living room with Grace Kelly on the cover," Coolidge, who earned rave reviews for her role in The White Lotus, recalled. "It was in that moment I realized I wanted to be Queen of Monaco."
Coolidge's main takeaway for the Class of 2025 was to pursue their goals with unwavering determination.
"When you find the thing that you want to do, I really want to highly recommend, just frigging go for it," she said.
Other speakers have used the moment to issue political and social calls to action.
At the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Communication in Los Angeles, actor and activist Jane Fonda encouraged graduates to engage civically — especially in the smaller, local elections that often fly under the radar.
"Vote all the way down the ballot," Fonda said. "You would be amazed at how much power these down-ballot offices can wield when it comes to democracy and climate."
While at Howard University in Washington, D.C., actor LeVar Burton, who's known for hosting the children's show Reading Rainbow, delivered a speech about resilience and progress in America.
"Only in America could a descendant of slaves, for whom simply knowing how to read just a few generations ago was a crime punishable by whipping or death, grow up and become a celebrated champion for literacy," Burton, who starred as Kunta Kinte in the landmark 1970s minseries Roots, said. "This, too, is America."
You can listen to these speeches and more memorable commencement addresses from this year's graduation season below.
Kermit the Frog at University of Maryland
Jennifer Coolidge at Emerson College
Jane Fonda at University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Communication
LeVar Burton at Howard University
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