English and Secondary Education senior Jenna Pratt has been selected as the student speaker for this year’s College of Arts & Letters commencement ceremony.

Originally from Laingsburg, Mich., Pratt will speak about her experiences as a Spartan, a College of Arts & Letters student, and how your Spartan identity follows you wherever you choose to go.

As the student commencement speaker, Pratt will represent the graduating class and inspire her peers as they move on from Michigan State. She was chosen from a group of students who applied to be commencement speakers, going through a written application and an in-person interview.

While at MSU, Pratt was involved in several on-campus groups and found her Spartan family. She was in the Riverview Church chapter campus and co-lead a Bible study in Akers Hall and also was a member of the Red Cedar Rowdies, the student section for the men’s soccer team. During her junior year, she studied abroad in London for six weeks with the Literature in London program.

Don’t be afraid to be yourself. It’s easy to push against who you truly are so you can be accepted and fit in, but you do not have to.

“The biggest takeaway from my time here is how valuable building a community truly is,” Pratt said. “The academics, and life as well, can get tough and it is really important to have a strong group of friends around you. It can make a huge difference.”

After two years at Central Michigan University, Pratt transferred to Michigan State University, where she studied to be an secondary-education English teacher.

As she graduates, she leaves this advice for current and future Spartans: “Don’t be afraid to be yourself. It’s easy to push against who you truly are so you can be accepted and fit in, but you do not have to. To truly take advantage of your time at MSU, I really think you have to be true to yourself.”

After graduation, Pratt will student teach English at Owosso High School with students in grades 10 to 12.