Last year, Simpson seniors were treated to Tom Latham for their commencement speaker. Latham, Iowa’s fourth congressional district representative, never attended Simpson College, he’s known for carrying several controversial political stances and most importantly, no one knew who the hell he was nor cared what he had to say.

Every minute of Latham’s speech only prolonged the wait for graduating seniors to finally get out and start their new lives. This year, we should try a different angle in choosing our speaker. Perhaps we can think more on who the audience is.

Most Simpson graduates are around the ages of 21 and 22.

They’re desperately looking for a job or praying for an acceptance letter into graduate school.

A speech should not only be from someone young adults have heard of, but someone who has something to say that reflects their thoughts and anxieties about the future.

Perhaps we can look to Simpson’s recent history and find a student who has actually graduated from Simpson, found a successful job, is exuberant and, most importantly, short-winded. The best way to get students to be interested is to find people that connect to their current situation.

Recent grads are an invaluable resource in doing this, and we should find one of Simpson’s finest to show even the most terrified of graduating seniors that success is achievable.