Instead of having to "talk about an awkward turtle," as his headband read at the Duke-Maryland basketball game, senior David Schmidt will have more than just a cheap prop to draw laughter from the audience when he delivers his commencement address Sunday.
Schmidt was one of three students unmasked at the final men's basketball game of the season-when Duke took on the Terrapins-after a year of performing as the Blue Devil mascot. He said his experience plays a large role in the speech he will deliver in Wallace Wade Stadium.
"I was one of the mascots, and... I thought I could use it to my advantage writing a speech," the 2007 student commencement speaker said. "I get to feel more like Clark Kent on a daily basis than the average student. When you're the only guy traveling with the cheerleaders it's not like you're keeping it a secret from the teams, but I usually just tell people I'm the cheerleaders' manager. Like I get them water or something."
Schmidt, who is also a member of the sketch comedy club Inside Joke, said there was no question that he would submit a speech, and it was only natural that it be comedic.
"It's actually always been a goal of mine to speak at a graduation," he said. "It means you've done something with your life."
That said, Schmidt said he is not sure what career path he will pursue after he leaves Duke.
"I'm a Spanish major, so naturally that leads me to teaching English in Germany. I'm hoping to learn [German] quickly. I heard about it Monday and had the job by Wednesday, so there's a year of my life. I've got a lot more time ahead of me than I have behind me, so I guess I'll see what happens."
A Derwood, Md., native, Schmidt transferred to Duke his sophomore year after spending a year at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas.
"I didn't get in [to Duke] out of high school," he said. "It's the ultimate twist of fate that I'm now speaking at their graduation. It took me kind of a year of being somewhere else to realize what I was missing."
Speeches were submitted to the student speaker selection committee March 8 and were first read without the author's names on them. Finalists were asked to deliver their speeches before the committee several times before the actual speaker was chosen.
Sterly Wilder, executive director of alumni affairs and a member of the student speaker selection committee, said Schmidt's speech was chosen because of his sense of humor and his ability to appeal to a varied audience.
"Dave's [speech] had broad appeal because of his message," Wilder said. "You don't just have undergraduates-you also have graduate and professional students... and there was just something that stood out. He's going to be terrific."
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