But Gillespie has more than prepared for her big day—if only on account of her other passion—dance. A life-long gymnast, dancer, and choreographer, she is a veteran of the stage, even if she is a rookie to public addresses.

Gillespie spent her college years as a member of Mainly Jazz and City Step, and also choreographed and stage-managed a number of shows around campus. This summer, she also interned with the Irish Modern Dance Theater in Dublin.

“For me, dance is the ultimate form of expression,” she says.

The dancer-turned-speaker has also spent the last month rehearsing pronunciation drills “nearly everyday,” fine-tuning her dynamics and gestures with a vocal coach at the American Repertory Theatre.

As the chosen orator, Gillespie is still somewhat self-selected—only three students applied to give the Latin oration this year.

Nonetheless, Richard J. Tarrant, Pope professor of Latin language and literature and chair of the Commencement orator competition, says that the selection process can be quite rigorous.

Applicants submitted their completed orations to a panel of eight judges earlier this spring. Judges then held two rounds of “auditions” for the strongest applicants.

“We look for lines that will entertain the audience,” Tarrant writes in an e-mail. “Caitlin’s Boston Red Sox theme was clever and timely, and we thought it would appeal to a wide audience. But she also has a very engaging personality—one of the judges said that she has ‘a smile in her voice.’”

Gillespie will spend this summer at home, before traveling to Oxford, England this fall to complete a masters degree in Greek and Latin language.

—Staff writer Kimberly A. Kicenuik can be reached at kicenuik@fas.harvard.edu.