Meet the Winter Commencement 2025 student speakers

As Boise State celebrates its Winter Commencement on Dec. 20, faculty and university leaders have selected two student speakers to represent the winter 2025 graduating class: Makena Chase and Kennedy Cummins.

Makena Chase

Makena Chase, a nursing graduate from the small town of Pine Valley, California, is rounding out her Boise State career with a 4.0 GPA and having received both the Presidential Innovation Award and the Campus Award for Inclusive Excellence. An advocate for students with special needs, Chase founded two campus organizations during her time at the university: the Best Buddies chapter and the Special Olympics Club. To inform students of these new opportunities, Chase worked around the clock, reaching out to deans, publishers, student clubs, faculty organizations and other groups. She also raised almost $500 for the Special Olympics Club during Bronco Giving Day.

Chase will represent the College of Health Sciences at the 10 a.m. ceremony.

Chase arrived at Boise State ready to lead. She has served as the president of the Student Nurses Association, where she presided over nearly 100 members and established the first Stop the Bleed campaign in Idaho, empowering community members with life-saving bystander training for emergencies. As a College of Health Sciences Senator, Chase lent her voice to resolutions that expanded student wellness initiatives, advanced academic freedom and supported civic engagement. Her leadership roles took her all the way to Washington, D.C., where she represented Boise State on Capitol Hill.

Throughout her undergraduate career, Chase has balanced her coursework and leadership roles with a variety of medical jobs, including an emergency department scribe for St. Luke's, a nurse apprentice at Saint Alphonsus and an in-home caretaker. Following graduation, Chase will begin her career at the Saint Alphonsus Critical Care Nursing Residency Program.

"She represents the very best of Boise State University: academic excellence, compassion in service, and leadership that creates lasting change," said Sydney Montgomery, senior director of student and recent graduate programs for the Boise State University Foundation. "I can think of no better voice to honor the 70-year legacy of the School of Nursing and to inspire the class of 2025 as they step into their own futures."

Kennedy Cummins

Kennedy Cummins of Murtaugh, Idaho, will graduate with a degree in political science with high honors. A recipient of both the George and Sondra Juetten Scholarship and the Laura Moore Cunningham Scholarship, Cummins has demonstrated tenacity and academic excellence throughout her Boise State career.

Cummins will represent the School of Public Service at the 3 p.m. ceremony.

Though Cummins began her college journey as a psychology major, she soon discovered an interest in public policy and enrolled in the School of Public Service. Her political science coursework led her to a role as a legislative intern for United States Senator Mike Crapo in August 2024.

In Crapo's office, Cummins gained valuable real-world experience reporting on policy issues, scheduling White House and Capitol tours and analyzing public opinion trends. Cummins quickly rose in the ranks to staff assistant in February 2025, and in June of this year, she began as a legislative correspondent for Crapo. In this role, Cummins drafts memorandums to advise the senator's votes, writes policy letters explaining the senator's priorities to constituents, and collaborates with a variety of congressional staff.

"Throughout her time in my office, Kennedy has demonstrated her adaptability, her eagerness to learn and her ambition to grow with her responsibilities," Crapo wrote. "I eagerly look forward to her continued growth both professionally and personally."

Cummins has also been active in campus organizations during her time at Boise State. She served as vice president of the Student Outdoor Society, secretary of the Political Science Association, and a member of the Pre-Law Society. She also obtained a Legislative Negotiation Certificate while pursuing her degree. Following graduation, Cummins plans to continue a career in public policy, with the long-term goal of working in the national security sector.

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