Harvard has chosen a graduate of — gasp — Boston College to deliver this year's Class Day speech: a very funny Massachusetts native named Amy Poehler.
The star of NBC's "Parks and Recreation" was chosen because she was “in our collective consciousness" — but also just because she's funny, Senior Class Marshal Toby Stein told the Harvard Gazette.
“We wanted someone people would recognize, who could give a funny and engaging speech,” he says. “During her time on 'SNL,' Amy was a part of our growing up, and there’s no doubt that she’s pretty hilarious.”
Also a factor, Stein says, was Poehler's movie work, and especially her turn in "Mean Girls." Stein called the film "an icon of our generation."
Class Day, to be held on May 25, takes place the day before commencement and give members of the class one last chance to come together before graduation. Speakers for the past two years were the considerably less funny Christiane Amanpour and Matt Lauer.
