Nancy Pelosi, now in her second term as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, has been selected by a student committee to be the Senior Convocation speaker May 29 during Cornell's 142nd Commencement Weekend.

Senior Convocation, which is open to the public, will be held at Schoellkopf Stadium at noon. In February, graduating seniors will receive advance tickets by mail to the indoor ceremony, in case of inclement weather.

Pelosi, the first woman to be speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, has represented the city of San Francisco since 1987. As speaker of the House, she is second in the presidential line of succession. She also served as the House Democratic whip for one year.

She comes from a strong family tradition of public service. Her late father, Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., served as mayor of Baltimore for 12 years, after representing the city for five terms in Congress. Her brother, Thomas D'Alesandro III, also served as mayor of Baltimore.

Pelosi graduated from Trinity College in Washington, D.C. She and her husband, Paul Pelosi, a native of San Francisco, have five grown children and eight grandchildren.