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CAROL LOLLIS

Rachel Maddow from the MSNBC program 'Race To The White House'.

NORTHAMPTON - Excitement brimmed in Rosalie Ray as Smith College President Carol T. Christ teased students with biographical details of this year's commencement speaker before a guessing audience of senior students Wednesday.

Stanford University graduate, Rhodes Scholar, political analyst, radio personality, TV host. The audience grew louder, cheerfully yelling and stamping their feet. And they weren't disappointed to find out the speaker would be national political pundit Rachel Maddow.

"She's one of the coolest people ever," said Ray, a Smith senior, who jumped up and down with friends celebrating the news announced Wednesday at Rally Day festivities, an annual celebration of seniors and alumnae at Smith.

"She's funny and she's smart. She brings important issues to her show, and that's something needed in the whole talk show scene. Plus she's local, so that's cool too."

Smith College is the first of the Five Colleges to announce this year's graduation day speaker.

Maddow is a political analyst with a national TV program on MSNBC and Air America Radio titled "The Rachel Maddow Show."

Her career began in 2004 when she won a contest to be a new on-air personality in Holyoke. Meeting with success at the local level, she soon joined the newly created Air America and, a year later, MSNBC.

About a year after launching her MSNBC show in April 2008, Maddow won the Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information. She was also recently included in the list of openly gay media professionals in The Advocate's "Forty under 40" and received a Gracie Award from the American Women in Radio and Television.

Smith College students said they are excited to have Maddow as their commencement speaker on May 16 for a variety of reasons, including her humor and good looks.

"She's amazing, she's got short hair and she's hot," said Beck Jacobson, Smith College senior. "I can't believe she'll be here."

Ray said she hoped Maddow's commencement address would be funny and provide insight into the pundit's success.

"I hope she's humorous and tells us how to grow up to be like her," Ray said.