The senior speaker selection committee has chosen Cande Torres Jimenez ’22 as the graduating senior speaking alongside Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel at the Class of 2022 Commencement. 

Torres Jimenez is an international student from Argentina. She is double majoring in political science and international studies with a minor in data science, as well as concentrations in human rights and humanitarianism and international development. 

Her speech was chosen out of several nominated speeches by a selection committee. The selection committee included two graduating seniors, Amber Sofge ’22 and Kit Schultz ’22, nominated by the Macalester College Student Government, the Associate Dean of Students Andrew Wells, the Director of Academic Programs and Advising Ann Minnick and the Associate Director of Philanthropic Giving Myhana Kerr ’18. 

The committee looked for a speaker who would speak confidently in front of the commencement crowd and who could deliver a speech that would both reflect the speaker’s personal experience at Macalester and engage the other graduates and audience members. 

“I was looking for a balance of people speaking on their specific Mac experience and perhaps applying their biggest takeaways to the rest of the class,” Sofge wrote in an email to The Mac Weekly. “It is a balancing act of including something for students, yourself and audience members.”

Torres Jimenez is excited about the opportunity to write a speech for her classmates. She has been writing speeches for many years both as a means of self-care and also to show her appreciation to the people around her.  

“In high school, I began writing speeches exclusively for myself, recording stories I would tell myself to motivate me to move forward when I was afraid or anxious,” she wrote in an email to The Mac Weekly. “I really wanted to honor my classmates the way I usually do with my loved ones.”

Torres Jimenez aims for her speech to be a lighthearted and encouraging “thank you” to conclude the three hour long ceremony. 

“I wanted to emphasize the common experiences we all shared at Macalester as well as some wisdom from back at home that inspire us to follow our next steps in life,” she wrote. 

The Class of 2022 Commencement is set for May 14, with a celebration for the classes of 2020 and 2021 set for the day after. 

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