Graduation for Niles West seniors is Sunday, May 24, 2015. One of the many events that take place at graduation is having a graduation speaker. This year senior Jordan Goldberg was awarded the opportunity to speak after auditioning.

“We had students apply, and from the applications, we narrowed it down. So there were seven adults that were on a committee that consisted from different areas around the building whether it was a counselor, a science teacher, someone from theater, there were all different areas. Because there were seven people anyone that got four votes moved on to the next step in the process and got an interview. Students then presented 90 seconds of their speech in the principal’s conference room one morning and we narrowed it down from there to three. Three students then went into the black box theater, presented two minutes of their speech to the homeroom reps, and they voted, and narrowed it down to one person which was Jordan Goldberg,” activities director Katie Odell explained.

“Jordan Goldberg is constantly wearing unusual outfits, socks or tank tops or something crazy but he just adds to the uniqueness of our team,” Goldberg’s gymnastics coach, Coach Adrian Batista, said.

“It feels pretty great. It’s cool to know that I’ll be able to represent and address our entire class and our families at the very last time we’re all together. It’s an honor to be chosen, and I’m very excited for this opportunity,” Goldberg added.

“His speech was quite unique actually. He mentioned snapchat and their stories, but his main point was to go after your dreams even if they seem simple and ridiculous,” Odell explained. “If you’re a senior or family member attending graduation, you definitely don’t want to miss his speech.”