Each year, graduating seniors are invited to apply to be the IUPUI student Commencement speaker. The selected student speaker has a successful academic record and a history of participation in campus and/or community activities. The student Commencement speaker gives a 3–5 minute speech in front of approximately 2,500 classmates and 15,000 guests at IUPUI Commencement.

Become a student speaker

Lore'al Avery, 2020 Student Speaker

Congratulations to Lore’al Avery, who was selected as IUPUI’s student Commencement speaker.

Lore’al is a first-generation scholar who has a passion for encouraging young girls with similar backgrounds to pursue higher education as she has. Lore’al is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a minor in communications. During her time at IUPUI, she was a communications and marketing intern, a lead peer advisor, and a tax intern. She also served as a Kelley Ambassador, a Bowen Scholar, a Fugate Scholar, and a Community Service Scholar. In addition to her on-campus involvement, Lore’al has competed at Miss Indiana USA 2016, served as a 2017 Indy 500 Festival princess, and competed at Alpha Phi Alpha’s Miss Black and Gold Scholarship Pageant. Lore’al is a member the Kappa Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Since graduation, Lore’al is working as an accountant at a local recruiting company and plans to compete again for Miss Indiana USA. She hopes that her story will inspire others to chase their dreams and to help them to remember “impossible is nothing.”

A message from Lore'al

The committee would also like to congratulate the two 2020 finalists below.
Selecting only one speaker from the extremely accomplished students who applied for this honor was a challenge for the committee.

Zoey Johnson, Liberal Arts, Bachelor of Arts
Christina Molinari, Liberal Arts, Bachelor of Arts