When David Shamash was in middle school, his mother gave him a piece of advice that helped him make it through a class speech.
"She taught me to crinkle my toes," he said. "It's a little trick that used to help me focus. The beauty of a podium is that nobody will know."
Shamash just might use the trick again on June 14 at Pauley Pavilion, when he will be one of two graduating students addressing the UCLA College of Letters and Sciences' first-ever dual commencements. Shamash will speak at the 2 p.m. ceremony and Serena Lee will speak at the 7 p.m. ceremony. Each will address an audience of about 10,000 people, and each will introduce keynoter Ann Meyers Drysdale, who will speak at both events.
"The fact that I even get this opportunity is incredible," said Shamash. "I embrace the opportunity to do something like this."
His speech will reference the memorable early mornings and the late nights of his four years at UCLA, and he plans to thank the family members, professors and friends who helped his graduating class reach this milestone.
"David's speech contains a great mix of memories that many Bruins can relate to and great lessons for the future," said Michael Starr, one of two seniors who were part of the committee that selected the student speakers. "I think his delivery is great and he’ll be a great crowd pleaser."
During his time on campus, Shamash was a member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity and served on the Undergraduate Students Association Council's cultural affairs and financial supports commissions. He was a research assistant in the classics department and, after studying in Italy during his junior year, worked for the UC Education Abroad Program. For the past year, he volunteered at a West Hollywood food pantry.
Shamash said UCLA opened up his mind to all sorts of interests and opportunities. "Looking back,” he said, “I couldn't have picked a better school to grow up at."
Following graduation, the classics major from Tarzana, Calif., intends to explore his options before deciding on a career path. He says the pressure to "know what you want to do with your life" weighs heavily on the minds of many of his peers. "You don't need to have your perfect direction right now," he said. "You just need to do something that makes you happy and feel fulfilled."
Shamash's parents, Mark and Amy, will be in the audience at Pauley Pavilion, but his special role in the ceremony will be a surprise to his mom and several other members of his family. "My mom is the kind to flip out," he said. "Hopefully they won't open the program until I'm about to start talking. It's going to be funny."
Lee, a communications major from Cupertino, Calif., and the daughter of Franklin and Chung-Hua Lee, will speak to graduates, friends and family at the evening ceremony.
"Serena has a great speech that touches many aspects of the Bruin experience," Starr said. "It's a great choice for students and loved ones to hear this year."
Lee never imagined that she would one day speak at her college commencement. As a teenager she was painfully shy and hated the idea of even speaking up in class. Now, she says she's "incredibly grateful and honored and excited" to address her graduating class.
Shortly after transferring from UC San Diego for her sophomore year, Lee was injured in a traffic accident and she took a year off from her studies to recuperate. She seriously considered returning to the familiarity of UCSD, but after thinking about all the hard work she had put in to make it to Westwood, she opted to stay. "UCLA was always my dream school, and it didn't make sense to have that dream and just walk away from it."
Lee said her accident reminded her to live each day to the fullest, to be brave (she has since climbed a rock wall and gone zip-lining for the first time) and to perform acts of kindness. She has volunteered at the Global Siblings program at UCLA's Dashew Center for International Students and Scholars, the University Committee on Disability, the Reading to Kids program and the Hammer Museum, among other organizations.
Still, she also found time for internships at Google, ABC and The CW, and to blog for the Huffington Post. Her advice to her fellow graduates? "Face your fears, because life is way too short to be afraid."
For more stories about UCLA commencement, visit the commencement news page. Follow @UCLAGraduation on Twitter.