Stephanie Tate made a sizable impact on NC State’s campus while finding the time to graduate early. Tate, a fourth-year studying political science, former editor-in chief of the Nubian Message and current assignments editor for the Agromeck yearbook, will stand on stage and address her fellow graduates on Dec. 15.

Why do you think you were picked to be this semester’s commencement speaker?

I’m not really sure because I did get the opportunity to meet the other people who auditioned and they all really seemed like great people who were passionate about NC State. So, I can only say that I worked hard on my speech and I guess that showed in front of the commencement committee.

How did the submission process work for commencement speaker?

You submit an application and two letters of recommendation from faculty or staff members to the commencement committee and then they call in people for auditions. You come with your speech, basically as close to finished as possible and you audition in front of the commencement committee. The next day, they notify you whether or not you got it.

We are a few days out from the commencement ceremony. Do you feel ready?

I feel pretty adequately ready. I think that once finals are over, I can breathe a little bit more, practice and delve into making sure that not only the speech is good, but the presentation is good. I feel ready, but I feel like I’ll feel more ready once I wrap up all of my finals.

What advice would you like to pass on to your fellow graduates?

I guess this is the whole context of my speech — to remember, now that you have gotten your degree and you are entering the world, that you have a responsibility to the rest of the world and not just to yourself. Only about seven percent of the world has a college degree. Understand that it is an immense privilege to graduate from any university, much less a university at the caliber of NC State. Taking that privilege and using it to change the world is going to be really important from here on out.  

What is one accomplishment you are proud of from your time at NC State?

I would have to say being editor of the Nubian Message. It was such a great year and such a great responsibility. It opened up a lot of doors and opportunities for me, but it was just such a humbling experience. I really feel like, in the last couple of years, the Nubian Message has been put back on the map and that doesn’t just have to do with me, but with such an awesome staff.

Do you have a favorite moment from your time with the Nubian Message?

I guess it’s a compilation of moments. Producing the paper can be really stressful, but we had such an awesome staff so, at times, even when it was stressful it was still fun. It was like being in an office full of family members. Being in there super late at night, I distinctly remember when Michelle Obama came to campus and being up super late in the office because she came right before production of the paper. Or, when Hillary Clinton came to campus and we got to live tweet the event and write an article about it. Or, when the GroupMe scandal broke and we all dropped what we were doing to be in the office together. That family aspect is my favorite part of that year.

What’s next for Stephanie Tate post-graduation?

I’m currently in the job interview process. I definitely want to continue working in higher education so I’d like to be some type of communications professional in higher education or working customer service with enrollment management, admissions or something in that nature. That is what I am in the process of interviewing for right now. Eventually, I want to go back and get a master’s degree, either in interactive media or higher education.