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Katie Cunningham’s parents and sister are traveling all the way from their home in Virginia to be at Pauley Pavilion for her UCLA graduation.

The long plane ride would have been worth it anyway, to be sure. But now the family has some additional incentive: Cunningham was selected to sing the national anthem at one of the three UCLA College commencement ceremonies on June 13.

Cunningham, who will graduate with honors with a degree in linguistics and English, was selected from among 30 students who auditioned for the honor. She’ll give her rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the 3 p.m. event in front of thousands of other graduating students and their families, and a livestream audience on YouTube.

Even with her academic home in the linguistics department, Cunningham has been an active performer throughout her time at UCLA, as a member of the HOOLIGAN Theatre Company. (One recent highlight was playing Sandy Cheeks in “The SpongeBob Musical.”) In fact, she learned about the opportunity to sing the anthem a year ago because her roommate Danielle Groode, another HOOLIGAN member, performed at the 2024 commencement.

“So I figured I’d try out for it this year and maybe give my family more of a reason to come,” Cunningham joked, “besides just hearing some cool speeches and taking pictures.”

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Photo credit: Haven Hunt