Kimberly Robinson

“Fall Commencement” will host the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Revenue Kimberly Lewis Robinson as this year’s speaker.

Commencement will be held on Saturday, Dec. 9 for graduating seniors, and Robinson hopes they will leave the graduation inspired and confident in their futures.

Robinson’s topic will focus on the students’ future, and it is named, “The Path Forward.”

“For students completing a degree, the focus is on the future,” said Robinson. “My topic was selected to provide words of wisdom and encouragement for the future.”

Robinson explained how she was approached for this opportunity and how this is her first time being a speaker for a graduation.

“I received an invitation from President Crain to be the speaker,” said Robinson. “I was honored to be invited and humbled by his kind words. I’m both excited and nervous. I spend a great deal of time speaking on tax and fiscal issues, but this is my first address that I’m hoping to stay totally away from numbers.”

After her speech, Robinson hopes the graduates walk away with a sense of pride in their accomplishments.

“I hope the graduates will feel inspired to go forward and have an impact on our world,” said Robinson. “The graduates should walk away celebrating their accomplishments and challenged to continue their success.”

She described the main purpose of having an empowering speaker at commencement.

“Having a graduation speaker to challenge and empower the class to go forward is important,” said Robinson. “After working diligently to get to graduation day, I was worried about the next steps. The graduation speaker should provide the encouragement to take those next steps.”

Leaving graduation, Robinson’s goal is to guide the graduates into believing in their accomplishments and continue to believe in themselves as they continue on in their futures.