On Thursday evening, President Carol Folt led a countdown before the Olympic Torch sparked to life. The lighting brought cheers from proud graduates, regalia-clad professors and teary-eyed families who gathered at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for USC’s 142nd commencement.  

In her remarks, Folt said she felt “nostalgic” at her final commencement ceremony as president and encouraged graduates to connect with their fellow Trojans after graduation. She emphasized the Class of 2025’s work on the Sustainability Hub and applauded graduates for navigating the coronavirus pandemic throughout their education. 

“The pandemic wasn’t a joke, and yet you stood in line every single week to spit into the tube,” Folt said, referencing the weekly coronavirus tests students had to take in the 2021 academic year. “People, including you, are the soul of a great university like USC. People like you who foster robust and respectful debate, people who listen to each other’s opinions with open minds and people who get excited when ideas come into conflict and use them to find solutions.”

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Meghan Anand, USC’s first student commencement speaker, discussed her journey from a freshman majoring in philosophy, politics and economics who “built a life around efficiency” to switching her major to pursue her passion for business and becoming a leader in organizations like the USC Golf Club and the Undergraduate Student Government. Anand told her fellow graduates that USC taught her “success isn’t just about efficiency, it’s about elevation” and encouraged her class to stay connected with their fellow Trojans.

“It’s not just my story, it’s all of ours. It’s in the student who worked two jobs while juggling classes, in the first generation grad who paved the way for their entire family and in the international student who left everything familiar to chase a dream,” Anand said. “It’s in every small act of kindness, in every unexpected friendship, in every moment we chose to show up for one another.” 

The student commencement speaker replaced the traditional valedictorian speech after the University barred last year’s valedictorian, Asna Tabassum, from speaking at commencement citing safety concerns. USC’s cancellation of the speech followed multiple groups accusing Tabassum of antisemitism based on pro-Palestinian content she interacted with on her Instagram.

As Anand took the stage, individuals shouted “free Palestine.” Anand did not directly respond during her speech. Regarding the change to the address format, Anand said she couldn’t “speak to other people’s perspectives” in an interview with the Daily Trojan and Annenberg Media on April 30.

School of Cinematic Arts alum Jon M. Chu, who has directed award-winning films including “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018) and “Wicked” (2024), delivered the commencement speech. Chu was set to give the commencement address last year before the University released outside speakers and later cancelled the mainstage ceremony, also citing safety concerns.

During his speech, Chu recalled embarrassing moments from his time on campus, such as his girlfriend breaking up with him on his first day at USC and later learning he was allergic to alcohol at Marks Tower. Chu also reminisced on happier memories, such as sneaking into the Academy Awards at Shrine Auditorium using a fake badge and meeting another student named Alice Brooks during his junior year at USC; she was the cinematographer for his student film and would later become the cinematographer for “Wicked.” 

Chu told graduates that while information was now instantly accessible through artificial intelligence, empathy and understanding were elusive and more valuable. Chu said marketers, politicians and AI are “competing for control over narratives,” and emphasized that the ability to connect emotionally with people through storytelling was the only way graduates’ ideas would land and endure.

“You have an extraordinary story, every single one of you, and I deeply, deeply believe in you,” Chu said. “You will go through tough times … but your beautiful brain will figure out creative ways to get out of it, and your ferocity will get you through it.”