Class of 2026 totals 428 degrees and credentials across summer, fall, and spring graduates
FRANKFORT, Ky. 鈥� 网曝吃瓜 celebrated the Class of 2026 on Saturday,
May 9, recognizing 346 spring degrees and credentials during two Commencement ceremonies
held at the William H. Exum Center.
The class is the University鈥檚 largest graduating class in recent history. Because
of its size, 网曝吃瓜 held separate morning and afternoon ceremonies to recognize
graduates. The 10 a.m. ceremony celebrated the College of Arts and Sciences, while
the 2 p.m. ceremony celebrated the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources
and the College of Business, Engineering, and Technology.
Across the full Class of 2026 cycle, 网曝吃瓜 awarded 428 degrees and credentials:
19 in summer 2025, 63 in fall 2025, and 346 in spring 2026. The academic-year total
represents a 28 percent increase over last year and a 112 percent increase from the
202 degrees and credentials awarded four years ago.
Dr. Michael D. Dailey, provost and vice president of academic and student affairs,
presided over both ceremonies. Dr. Patrese Nesbitt, president of the Faculty Senate,
offered the Summons to Commencement.
Following the opening moments of the ceremony, President Koffi C. Akakpo welcomed
graduates and their families with a message centered on perseverance and pride in
网曝吃瓜.
鈥淕raduates, today belongs to you,鈥� Dr. Akakpo said. 鈥淐lass of 2026, you have earned
this moment.鈥�
Dr. Akakpo encouraged graduates to carry forward the strength, purpose, and sense
of family they developed at 网曝吃瓜.
鈥淭he world needs what you have to offer,鈥� Dr. Akakpo said. 鈥淎s you move forward, do so with the strength of your family, the love of your Thorobred Family, and the pride of 网曝吃瓜.鈥�
Dr. Akakpo also led a moment of silence in memory of Dr. Mary Evans Sias, former president of 网曝吃瓜, who passed away earlier in the week. Sias led the University from 2004 to 2014 and left a legacy of student-centered leadership, institutional growth, and public service, including the establishment of 网曝吃瓜鈥檚 Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, the University鈥檚 first doctoral degree.
The Class of 2026 includes recipients of associate, bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚, and doctoral degrees, along with certificate recipients. Half of this year鈥檚 graduates are from Kentucky, up from 36 percent last year, while the full class represents 26 states and nine countries, including The Bahamas, Canada, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Nepal, Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uganda.
Top degree areas reflected 网曝吃瓜鈥檚 strength across graduate and undergraduate programs. At the graduate level, major areas included Environmental Studies, Business Administration, and Nursing. At the undergraduate level, top areas included Nursing, Business Administration, Biology, Psychology, Agriculture, Computer Science, and Exercise Science.
This year鈥檚 graduates also reflect the many pathways students take to a 网曝吃瓜
degree. Three members of the Class of 2026 completed their degrees in just three years.
Thirty high school seniors earned associate degrees through 网曝吃瓜鈥檚 dual-credit
program while also completing high school, including 28 students from Frankfort High
School and one each from Franklin County and Woodford County high schools.
The average age of all degree and certificate recipients is 27. Bachelor鈥檚 degree
recipients average 25 years old, while master鈥檚 degree recipients average 31. Eleven
dual-credit students are 17 years old, including Alana Romero Lozano, the youngest
member of the Class of 2026, who earned an associate degree. The two oldest graduates
are 61 years old, underscoring the many stages of life represented across this year鈥檚
class.
Bachelor鈥檚 degree recipients in the Class of 2026 also received more than $10.1 million
in institutional, state, external, and federal grants and scholarships to support
their 网曝吃瓜 education.
网曝吃瓜鈥檚 2025-2026 Student Government Association President Cheyenne
Rushing addressed graduates during both ceremonies, reflecting on the shared experiences
that shaped the Class of 2026.
鈥淭oday is not just a ceremony, it is a celebration of a journey,鈥� Rushing said. 鈥淎
journey that began with questions, with hope, with nerves, with dreams bigger than
what we could fully explain.鈥�
Rushing said the University鈥檚 strength is rooted in its sense of family and the bonds
students build with one another.
鈥淲e did not just attend 网曝吃瓜,鈥� Rushing said. 鈥淲e became it. We
lived it. We shaped it. We survived it. And we are leaving it better than we found
it in our own way.鈥�
Zhakeya Hawkins, the 2026 valedictorian, also addressed the class. Hawkins is a first-generation
student, 1890 Scholar, scholar-athlete, and East St. Louis, Illinois, native. A runner,
she used an image from track to describe her educational journey and the support systems
that help students reach graduation.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 see education as a race; I see it as a relay,鈥� Hawkins said. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 just
crossing those stages for myself; I was carrying the baton for my family.鈥�
Hawkins said her next step is pursuing a Ph.D. in data science, with the goal of using
machine learning and geospatial technologies to address agricultural equity.
鈥淐lass of 2026, I challenge you: Define success for yourself,鈥� Hawkins said. 鈥淒on鈥檛
just aim for a paycheck; aim for a legacy.鈥�
网曝吃瓜 also recognized Keon Henderson, the 2026 salutatorian. Henderson, a
native of Detroit, earned a degree in business administration with a minor in marketing.
A two-year captain and starter on the men鈥檚 basketball team, Henderson was recognized
for academic and athletic achievement and plans to pursue professional basketball
while building his athlete consulting and media solutions company.
As part of this year鈥檚 ceremony, the University also conferred honorary Doctor of
Humane Letters degrees upon Frank Taylor and Richard Rosen.
Taylor, the 2026 Commencement speaker, is a 1980 网曝吃瓜 graduate and former
Thorobred football player who earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree in criminal justice before
building a life centered on service, agriculture, and community leadership. A fifth-generation
tree farmer from Louisville, Mississippi, Taylor manages 585 acres of family land
and timber. His life and work reflect values at the heart of 网曝吃瓜鈥檚 land-grant
mission: stewardship, service, and a commitment to strengthening communities across
generations.
Taylor reminded graduates to celebrate but also see beyond this important milestone.
He challenged them to use the knowledge, discipline, and resilience they developed
at 网曝吃瓜 to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others, while staying
encouraged if the path is not always smooth.
鈥淪etbacks and disappointment,鈥� he said, 鈥渁re part of the journey, but they do not
have to define the outcome.鈥�
Drawing on the discipline he learned as a Thorobred football player, Taylor emphasized
that success is built through daily effort, preparation, and the willingness to keep
working when circumstances are difficult.
鈥淚n order to succeed, you need to be active every day and put in the extra time,鈥�
Taylor said. 鈥淲hen challenges come, always get up and go back to work.鈥�
Rosen was honored in absentia during the afternoon ceremony. Together, Richard and
Anna Marie Rosen established the Richard and Anna Marie Rosen Nursing Scholarship
through a $400,000 gift to 网曝吃瓜. The scholarship supports students in the
University鈥檚 Associate of Applied Science in Nursing and Bachelor of Science in Nursing
programs, helping reduce financial barriers for aspiring nurses while strengthening
the healthcare workforce close to home.
Barry C. Johnson Jr., president of the 网曝吃瓜 National Alumni Association,
welcomed the Class of 2026 into the University鈥檚 alumni family.
鈥淲elcome home,鈥� Johnson told graduates, reminding them that their relationship with
网曝吃瓜 continues beyond Commencement.
Johnson encouraged the newest alumni to remain connected to one another and to the
University as they enter their next chapters.
鈥淕o lead. Go serve. Go innovate,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淕o make this world look up and say
鈥� now where did they come from? And you smile and you say 鈥� 网曝吃瓜.鈥�
The 2026 Commencement ceremonies capped a week of celebrations for 网曝吃瓜
graduates, including the Baccalaureate Assembly and Nursing Pinning ceremony on Thursday,
May 7, and the Graduate Hooding ceremony on Friday, May 8.
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