“Everybody here is so nice and amazing and it was the best experience. They just made it the best experience. If you took everything away from John Carroll and just left the people, it would be the same,” said Halia Ramirez ’26 after walking across the stage on Sunday during John Carroll University’s 140th commencement ceremony.
A total of 579 students graduated, with 236 from the Boler College of Business, 335 graduates from the College of Arts & Sciences and 8 from the College of Health. The day was filled with tears and smiles as the Class of 2026 earned their degrees and walked across the Hamlin Quad, shaking hands with the dean of their respective colleges and receiving their degrees from President Alan Miciak and President-Elect Carolyn Noll Sorg. Many graduates felt that connections were the most important thing they gained from their college experience at JCU.
“Through JCU, I have made connections that will last far beyond graduation,” Lydia Bennett ’26 said. “The relationships I’ve built here have helped shape who I am and shown me the value of community.”
As graduates prepared to leave campus, undergraduate commencement speaker Chuck Todd emphasized the importance of community and the relationships formed along the way. Best known as the former moderator of Meet the Press and host of The Chuck ToddCast, Todd reflected on how meaningful connections, wheth
er personal, professional, or unexpected, often shape future opportunities and define success long after graduation.
After the conclusion of the ceremony, graduates were excited for what the future holds for them. Maximus Yost ’26 said “I feel thrilled and I’m ready to move forward.”
It was a bittersweet moment for the now alumni of the university. Many of them will miss the people they have met, but hope to keep in touch with people. Halia Ramirez ’26 is “most excited about the JCU alum and connecting with them. I’m really excited to go to those events because I know there’s so many people who are in so many different careers.”
No matter where the Class of 2026 goes in the future, they will remember their time at JCU.
