Student Speaker Selected for 2026 Ithaca College Commencement

Student Speaker Selected for 2026 Ithaca College Commencement

Senior Lili Chalfant has been selected to speak on behalf of her fellow graduates at Ithaca College's 131st Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 17. All undergraduate members of the Class of 2026 were invited to apply to be chosen to represent their classmates as the event's student speaker.

A native of Lafayette, Indiana, Chalfant is a graduate of Culver Academies. She will be receiving her B.F.A. degree in Writing for Film, Television, and Emerging Media from the Roy H. Park School of Communications. She has minors in both Psychology and Counseling.

On campus, Chalfant has served for two years as a Park School representative on the Student Governance Council and two years as a Resident Assistant-including a year as the Outdoor Adventure Learning Community RA. She was awarded the Community Builder Award for Spring 2025 at the Residential Life Awards and was nominated for the Building Connections Award as a first-year RA.

Chalfant served as the host and a writer for the ICTV show "Roommate Rumble" and has acted in several student films. She is currently a Scripted Development intern for Best Day Ever, a television production company cofounded by Ithaca College alumna Liz Tigelaar '98, and hopes to work in the entertainment industry after graduation.