Pomona College’s Class Day student speaker will be Andre Pegeron PO ’12, and Ben Tumin PO ’12 will speak at Commencement.
Class Day is a Pomona tradition, during which graduating seniors walk through the college gates together. Compared to Commencement, Class Day is less formal and more celebratory, Pomona Vice President and Dean of Students Miriam Feldblum said. Class Day is May 12 and Commencement is May 13.
“It is so important to have student speakers because these are ceremonies about students and about their connection to the college,” Feldblum said. “What connects years and generations of Pomona College graduates are the students.”
Class Day and Commencement speakers are nominated by the student body, and then voted for by seniors. Students are able to nominate themselves or others. A committee comprised of Senior Class President Carrie Henderson PO ‘12, Feldblum and Associate Dean of Students Chris Waugh counted the votes this year.
“We had a good number of students who put their names in or were nominated for both the Class Day speaker and the Commencement speaker,” Feldblum said.
Pegeron said he is looking forward to speaking to his class.
“It feels good that my peers want to hear me speak,” he said. “I only want to do it if people wanted to hear me. I guess I like that I have made a name for myself and that I can speak to people that are willing to listen.”
Pegeron, a performer with the Claremont Colleges Late Night Stand-Up Comedy group and the improvisational comedy group Without a Box, plans to take a humorous approach to his Class Day speech.
“Humor can kind of point things out to people in an entertaining way that they wouldn’t necessarily think of,” Pegeron said. “This is a speech that is given every year. I wanted to make it enjoyable and eye-opening.”
Tumin is also a member of Without a Box and shares the excitement of his fellow performer Pegeron.
“I think I’m going to say something about how as seniors we’re pretty well prepared to leave Pomona,” Tumin said. “That’s a bit vague but besides a few other ideas that’s about all I’ve got right now.”
Feldblum said she will miss the Class of 2012.
“Each class has a symbolic connection for me,” she said. “I have such great personal ties with this class and each year has just meant so much to me.”