Every April, USC’s campus overflows with excitement and anticipation. With graduation just a few weeks away, soon-to-be alums take to the campus for photo shoots with their newly acquired cardinal sashes as they wait to hear who will speak at their impending graduation.
The USC Annenberg School of Communications and Journalism announced on Wednesday that legendary alpine skier Lindsey Vonn will be the commencement speaker at the school’s graduation ceremony on May 15.
Vonn, known globally as one of the greatest ski racers of all time, began skiing at age 2, according to The Olympic Games. She has clinched 82 World Cup victories with 138 podium appearances, garnered four Overall World Cup Champion titles and won 20 World Cup Crystal Globes.
Vonn also won three Olympic medals. She was the first American woman to win a gold medal in Alpine skiing, downhill, at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
While competing in the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, Vonn crashed during her downhill run, leaving her left leg severely injured and almost resulting in amputation.
Now on crutches, the skier has been on the road to recovery and normalcy.
“I tried. I dreamt. I jumped,” Vonn said in a post on her Instagram account following the accident. “I hope if you take away anything from my journey, it’s that you all have the courage to dare greatly.”
The drive displayed by the three-time Olympic medalist is a major reason why Annenberg chose Vonn, according to the Dean.
“Her fearless pursuit of excellence — and her ability to give voice to the human experience behind competition — offers our Class of 2026 a powerful model of courage, authenticity and modern leadership,” Bay said in a press release.
Natalia DeSon said she expects Vonn’s upcoming address to be very inspirational.
The senior journalism major said she was initially shocked by the announcement. She said that, with the Spring Olympics set for Los Angeles in 2028, the decision makes sense.
“[Annenberg] really focuses on sports and entertainment,” DeSon said, “I felt [the speaker] could have been anyone from those groups.”
As a public relations and advertising major, Ansley Simpson agreed and said she saw Vonn’s commencement speech as a demonstration of what she was learning in her classes.
Vonn is not just an athlete but also a best-selling author, philanthropist and investor, meaning she operates at the intersection of sports and the broader world of communication.
“I feel that my goal in my career is to connect the arts, as well as sports media, to broader communication,” Simpson said. “There’s not one mode or one person that can communicate effectively.”
Many Annenberg students said they were pleasantly surprised with Vonn as the commencement speaker — especially students with sport-related degrees, like Andrew Giesler.
Giesler, who minors in sports media industries at Annenberg, said he saw Vonn as a direct tie to his course.
“It’s really cool to hear someone who has so much success in the sports world [being] someone who is in the sports world,” Giesler said. “That would be something that I’d be super interested in hearing.”
Others feel as though, with an uncertain economy, rising inflation and an unsteady job market, Vonn’s experience could provide valuable inspiration.
“I think something she definitely can talk about is adversity,” Giesler said. “Especially with this past little stretch with the Winter Olympics [and] everything before that.”
In previous years, Annenberg has hosted a variety of renowned media activists and specialists, ranging from TV hosts, journalists, authors and advocates. The roster includes Oprah Winfrey, Billie Jean King and renowned actress Jane Fonda, who spoke to the graduating class in 2025. Vonn will now be joining that list.
“I think she has a lot to say about being a hard worker and having perseverance,” soon-to-be graduate DeSon said, “and [that’s] something I think a lot of new grads need to hear.”
As Annenberg students prepare to enter the ever-changing world of communications, some say Vonn’s experiences could inspire them.
“Success isn’t necessarily linear, and her story definitely can describe that,” Giesler said.