Graduation marks a time of closure, beginnings, uncertainty, excitement and, most importantly, accomplishment. No ceremony is complete without a speaker who puts new graduates at ease with words of wisdom and sentimentality. While 2013 commencements look forward to speakers including Nate Silver, Bill Clinton, Melinda Gates and Julie Andrews, schools have also had the privilege of hosting late speakers such as Steve Jobs and Randy Pausch of the “Last Lecture.” Last year, Oregon State was fortunate enough to host the first lady, and while the University of Oregon’s commencement speaker is still unannounced, here are some favorites from past commencements the country over:

Fred Armisen at Oregon Episcopalean School
At OES in Portland, the high school’s 78-student graduating class of 2011 was in for a treat when Fred Armisen, at the peak height of “Portlandia” hype, spoke. While Armisen kept it light-hearted with humor, he shared the stereotypical, yet effective sentiments of “persever(ing) in spite of times when you did (fail),” and included tales of the days when he would do stand-up in a Laundromat. The comedian noted, “you don’t have to be defined by your work” and warned graduates to “avoid people who tell you that what you want to do is not possible.”

Conan O’Brien to Dartmouth 2011
O’Brien touched on the job market and college culture.

“I decided to prepare with the same intensity many of you devote to an important term paper,” he told the crowd. “So last night, I began. I drank two cans of Red Bull. Snorted some adderall. Played a few hours of ‘Call of Duty,’ then opened my browser.”
“If your child majored in fine arts or philosophy, the only place they are really qualified to get a job is ancient Greece … You will spend more money framing your child’s diploma than they will earn in the next six months. The only people hiring right now are Panera Bread and Mexican drug cartels.”

Oprah to Stanford 2008
As always, Oprah is an inspiration to all.

“Lesson 1: Follow your feelings. If it feels right, move forward; if it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. Nobody’s journey is seamless or smooth, we all have setbacks. If things go wrong you hit a dead end, as you will, it’s just life’s way of saying, time to change course …  Ask every failure — this is what I do — I say, what is this here to teach me? And as soon as you get the lesson, you get to move on.”