The USC Marshall School of Business alumni network — already more than 100,000 strong — will soon welcome over 2,000 new graduates.

On May 17, the USC Marshall School of Business will celebrate the Class of 2025 in a joint commencement ceremony honoring both undergraduate and graduate students at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Well-suited for the larger ceremony, this year’s USC Marshall commencement speaker will be entertainment icon, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Snoop Dogg.

Student speakers play an important role in commencement, offering a voice for the graduating class and capturing the spirit of the moment through shared stories and forward-looking inspiration. Selected for this special honor, Drew Lidell, a business administration major, and Jonathan Dennill, a part-time MBA (MBAPM) student, will serve as student speakers at the joint ceremony, sharing reflections on their time at USC Marshall while looking ahead to exciting careers after graduation.

Liddell’s speech will draw on themes of competition learned in BUAD 498: The Game Is Life, co-taught by former USC head football coach Pete Carroll, USC Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life Varun Soni, and Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship David Belasco. Just as Carroll has inspired Liddell, the undergraduate speaker hopes his remarks at commencement will inspire others within the Marshall community.

“I want to remind [the Class of 2025] how good of competitors we are, and as we transition into a broader arena that is the entire world, how we can keep that same mentality and compete for everything we want to do,” Liddell said. “There’s truly no goal or dream that is out of our reach.”

Liddell says he was inspired to pursue his ambitions while at USC Marshall, developing the self-confidence needed to start Onward USC, a student-led organization dedicated to educating students about careers in corporate America. After graduation, Liddell will work as a consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in downtown Los Angeles.

Liddell is quick to acknowledge that he didn’t earn his success on his own.

“Even though I am an individual on that stage, it wasn’t my journey alone that got me there,” Liddell said. “It’s all those people who encourage me. It’s all the faculty and staff who told me they were going to practice with me, who told me they believed in me as well. It’s my coworkers who, working this past year in the Marshall admissions office, showed me how much they value my experience and value what I have to share with the next generation of Trojans.”

Similar to Liddell, part-time MBA student Dennill has made meaningful strides during his time at USC Marshall. Although he began his journey working in the entertainment industry, after graduation he will transition to a management consultant position at Deloitte — a career pivot Dennill credits to the USC Marshall classroom experience. According to the graduate student speaker, the intelligence and capabilities of his classmates and professors offered him a glimpse of a new career path.

“The opportunities that you get inside the classroom, introduce you to ideas that you might’ve not considered before,” Dennill said.

In his remarks, Dennill plans to reflect on the strong sense of community with USC Marshall, and the education experience enriched by wide-ranging programs and students from all walks of life.

“I really wanted my speech to be built around that One Marshall core value,” Dennill said. “It’s not just one program or one archetype of a business leader. We have so many different individuals. As the world continues to [change] … I think USC really prepares students to interact with different types of leaders in the business setting.”

USC Leventhal School of Accounting will also host a joint commencement ceremony on May 16 at McCarthy Quad. Their undergraduate speaker is Sophie Park who is a Roger J. Coury Applied Leadership Program leader, a member of the Dean’s List, and a recipient of the Warren Bennis scholarship. After an accomplished undergraduate career, Park reflects on the significant connections formed through Leventhal and the Trojan Network.

“It's truly the relationships I’ve built — with classmates, professors, and mentors/professionals — that have made my time at Leventhal so meaningful,” Park said. “The ambition, collaboration, and shared values within this community have truly shaped who I am.”

USC Leventhal’s graduate student speaker is Sydney Kim, who will be receiving her Master of Accounting and working at EY after graduation. This is Kim’s second degree from USC, as she previously earned an undergraduate degree in economics.

“Being chosen as the commencement speaker for the Leventhal School of Accounting is an incredible honor,” Kim said. “This program has shaped us in so many ways, and I’m humbled to be part of this special moment that marks the start of the next chapter for all of us.”

The two ceremonies will gather thousands of members of the Trojan Network, emphasizing the sense of community that makes USC Marshall a one-of-a-kind school.

“Because of the community, USC has become my dream school,” Liddell reflected. “There’s so many opportunities that I wouldn’t have had anywhere else if I didn't end up here. I’m grateful every day that I did.”

USC Leventhal’s Commencement ceremony will take place on Friday, May 16 at McCarthy Quad. USC Marshall’s Commencement ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 17 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Event details can be found at USC’s 2025 Commencement website.