Rain or shine, sleet or snow, May 12, 2007 will mark a turning point in over 500 Albion College students’ lives: commencement.

Fareed Zakaria, the editor of "Newsweek International" and author of the recent book "The Future of Freedom," a New York Times bestseller, is this year’s graduation speaker.

"He is regarded by many, including myself, as one of the most insightful journalists in the world," said president Peter Mitchell. "His grasp of international issues is extraordinary and is equaled by his clear and thoughtful writing style."

Zakaria, who received a bachelor’s degree from Yale and a Ph.D. in political science from Harvard, was asked by Mitchell to speak at Albion’s 2007 commencement ceremony over a year ago, due to Zakaria’s busy schedule. Mitchell sought after Zakaria because he believed Zakaria would offer Albion grads a purposeful message.

"I anticipate [the speech] will be a message of coping in a complex world and finding meaning for this graduating class," Mitchell said.

However, for many seniors, the day has nothing to do with the well-known face that will grace the stage; rather, for some seniors, graduation day is more a time for reflection on their Albion experience.

"May 12 will be a bittersweet day like any day that marks a change in life, I suppose," said Brandon Hill, Plymouth senior. "I am beginning to look back on my four years here quite a bit, and I already feel nostalgic about things that happened two or three years ago."

Hill looks forward to the messages of hope and good luck that are always shared during graduation ceremonies, but he is particularly interested in the main speaker because of Zakaria’s "interesting insight about the world."

Underclassmen are also looking forward to Zakaria’s speech.