Class Day Orators Selected by Class Committee

Jeremy D. Bronson ’02, who was announced Monday as one of four undergraduate speakers at this year’s Class Day, says he hopes to put an educational spin on the traditionally humorous Ivy Oration.

“Actually, I’m just going to be reading a response paper I wrote for Gov 30,” Bronson jokes. “It’s pretty much about bicameral legislatures and stuff like that.”

The Senior Class Committee also selected Michael A. Di Capua ’02 of Leverett House and Amanda M. Mulfinger ’02 of Cabot House to deliver the more serious Harvard Orations. A second Ivy Oration will be given by Taii K. Bullock ’02 of Quincy House.

This is the first time there have been two Ivy Orators since 1997.

The last major change in Class Day speaker policy was in 2000, when the class ended the practice of choosing a Radcliffe Orator.

Since 2000, there have been two Harvard Orators—one male and one female.

In contrast to Bronson, who is a resident of Eliot House and an editor of the Harvard Lampoon, a semi-secret Sorrento Square social organization which used to occasionally publish a so-called humor magazine, Di Capua and Bullock prefer to keep the details of their speeches under wraps.

“Basically, I’m just satirizing some of the stuff that has happened this year,” said Bullock. “If I talk about details, it won’t be funny.”

Mulfinger said she decided to audition for the position of Harvard Orator after realizing that she had something she really wanted to say—which she said was not the case with her public speaking experiences in high school.

She said her speech will focus on the pressure Harvard graduates face when they go out in the world.

“The world is going to make us conform to their definition of success, but we shouldn’t bow to that pressure,” Mulfinger said. “We should try to live up to our own definition of success.”

Mulfinger said she was surprised to have been selected to speak.

“I was at work and didn’t have a calling card. I had to call my dad collect because I was so excited,” she said.

Bullock praised the selection process for being laid-back.

“It was easy.” Bullock said. “The committee was awesome. They didn’t make it intimidating.”

Mulfinger was a bit more stressed about her audition.

“I got an e-mail the morning of my audition suggesting that we memorize our speech,” she said. “I hadn’t even thought of doing that.”

Of the four speakers, Bronson said he is making the most active preparations for his oration.

“Yeah, I’ve been jogging a little bit,” Bronson said. “And I’ve hit the Stairmaster once or twice.”

—Staff writer Katherine M. Dimengo can be reached at dimengo@fas.harvard.edu.