The Department of Physics and Astronomy is excited to announce that one of our graduating undergraduate students this year, Zachary Shafer, has been chosen as the undergraduate speaker for University Commencement on Sunday, May 4, 2025 -- Congratulations Zach! See below for an official statement from Zach. 

"The process just involved writing a speech and submitting it to an application that was open to all graduating seniors. After that, select applicants were invited to audition in front of a committee of Pitt staff members. I was notified of their unanimous decision to select me as the speaker a couple of weeks after that audition. As far as getting chosen, I’d say that it’s absolutely the biggest honor of my time here at Pitt for the opportunity to represent the class of 2025 at our Commencement. I’m definitely grateful for my friends and professors here at Pitt who’ve helped me become the person I am today because they’re really the ones who inspired me throughout the whole process. The speech takes direct inspiration from my Physics and Astronomy major—its centered around an atomic metaphor that I think applies especially well to the class of 2025."