Katie Priscott to Deliver 2026 Student Commencement Address

Katie Priscott will represent the Class of 2026 as the student Commencement speaker at Oberlin's May 25 ceremony on Tappan Square. 

A native of Stamford, Connecticut, Katie will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing, along with a minor in Dance and a concentration in Arts Administration and Leadership.

On campus, Katie has served as a Peer Advising Leader, Oberlin Central Ticket Service student manager, Dance Department teaching assistant, and ViBe Dance Company tap director and executive board member. She has written for Wilder Voice literary magazine, served as an assistant choreographer for Haymarket: A New Folk Musical, and was an assistant student publicity manager for Oberlin Theater and Dance. She was a finalist at the 50th Annual Concord Theatricals Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival, and her short story "Ghost Stories and Walls" was published as part of the Long Story Short Award in 2024.

"From revising my capstone in the stacks of Mudd, to choreographing in the studios of Warner Center, to watching the Royal Shakespeare Company during my Winter Term in London, I am immensely grateful for my time at Oberlin,” she says. “I feel so lucky to be surrounded by professors who have challenged me to reach my potential and peers who have cheered me on every step of the way. I would not be the artist, academic, or human being that I am without their support."

Following graduation, Katie will begin work at the Virginia Theatre Festival at the University of Virginia. She aims to continue her work in arts administration while further pursuing her career as a writer.

Oberlin's Commencement ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. Monday, May 25. For live stream and more information, visit the Commencement page on the campus events calendar.