We shouldn’t be the ones breaking the news to you, but there are two weeks left until commencement. Graduation is obviously an important event for every senior, but many soon-to-be-alumni revel in the event that precedes diploma distribution: the commencement speech.
Stephanie Courtney will be delivering this year’s speech. Not too familiar with who she is? Most students only know her as the quirky actress behind Flo, the Progressive Girl. And with that image in mind, many make quick judgments about her potential as keynote: some are thrilled, others are underwhelmed.
No, she’s not a Silicon Valley pioneer or famous politician, but she doesn’t need to be. Stephanie Courtney is a Binghamton University alumna who has accomplished a tremendous amount after her own four years here.
Courtney is best known for her portrayal of Flo. We know this — we’ve seen the commercials, and a few of us might have even dressed up as her for Halloween once (or twice). Despite the fact that Flo is obviously Courtney’s most popular work, we as a student body have to separate the actress from the act.
The Editorial Board is just as guilty, having previously published an article condemning the University’s use of its alumni database and encouraging the administration to look beyond “Flo.” But we’re taking a step back and are encouraging campus to do the same. Let’s stop reducing Courtney to the bubbly, made-up girl in fifteen-second advertisements and see what she has to offer.
Unsurprisingly, Courtney has built a career outside of her famous insurance salesperson persona. She’s a real success — her credits include a stint on the hit drama “Mad Men,” and you can even see her perform a small role in “Blades of Glory” if you pay close attention. She’s also a damn funny comedian, having been a member of the Groundlings, an improvisation group that boasts Will Ferrell, Kathy Griffin and Lisa Kudrow as alumni.
Like many of us, she came to BU with lackluster expectations, but made the best of it. Whether moving on to graduate school, future employment or parents’ basements, many future graduates can find comfort and camaraderie from a speaker with whom they have shared experiences. Courtney probably has the same college memories of sweating in Tom & Marty’s and poor decisions at The Rat, and she managed to turn out okay. It’s safe to assume that after a similar four years, you will be, too.
Courtney is a liberal arts success story: she has managed to take an English major and translate it into a net worth of about $3 million, a feat that many of Harpur College’s most prideful minds wish to accomplish by 2020. She pursued her dreams of becoming an actress and made a living doing it. Soon-to-be graduates should welcome the opportunity to listen to some of Courtney’s secrets to success. She offers a wealth of knowledge not only to those graduating, but to others in the audience as well. She created her own prosperity from our university. Listen to her story, embrace it, learn from it.
Some may complain that Courtney isn’t an out-of-this-world persona coming to impart their wisdom on us. But that’s the point. She’s one of us.