2026 Commencement – Largest Graduating Class ever
Delaware State University recently celebrated the Class of 2026 on May 15 as nearly 1,300 undergraduate, graduate, and associate degree graduates crossed the stage during commencement ceremonies that celebrated student achievement while reflecting on the university’s 135-year legacy of service, opportunity, and resilience.
This year’s graduating class is the largest in Delaware State University history, with more than 1,000 bachelor’s degree graduates, nearly 300 master’s and doctoral graduates, and 270 associate degree graduates.
For images of the Undergraduate and Graduate Commencement Ceremonies, click on the below links:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/48216028@N03/albums/72177720333690536 (Undergraduate ceremony)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/48216028@N03/albums/72177720333685332/ (Graduate ceremony)
Throughout the undergraduate and graduate ceremonies, speakers reflected on the significance of the day not only for graduates, but for the families, mentors, and communities who helped them reach it.
“Today is your day,” President Tony Allen told graduates during the undergraduate ceremony. “You belong.”
Allen opened his remarks by recognizing the families and loved ones who supported students throughout their college journeys before celebrating the accomplishments of the Class of 2026, which he described as a transformative class in the university’s 135-year history.
“With nearly 1,300 graduate and undergraduate candidates, Class of 2026, you are the largest class in Delaware State University’s history,” Dr. Allen said. “You’ve done more public service, held more internships, created more artificial intelligence initiatives, and developed more research opportunities than any other class in our university’s history.”
Allen also recognized Delaware State’s Inspire Scholarship program and called forward state leaders, including Lieutenant Governor Kyle Evans Gay, State Senators. Eric Buckson and Trey Paradee, State Representatives Kendrick Johnson and Stephanie T. Bolden, for their support of the program, which provides eligible Delaware students with four years of tuition assistance at DSU.
“There are not many places in the country where you can be a graduating high school senior and your state says you can go to Delaware State University for free for four years,” Allen said.
More than half of this year’s in-state graduates were Inspire Scholars, representing a record percentage for the university.
Lt. Gov. Gay also addressed graduates, encouraging them to embrace uncertainty, lead boldly, and challenge systems that no longer serve communities effectively.
“Leadership is about stepping into rooms where you know you belong, even if you’re not invited,” Lt. Gov. Gay said. “Speak up and don’t accept the status quo.”
Dr. Allen also introduced 108-year-old alumna Susan Brown, a 1945 graduate of then-Delaware State College and the university’s oldest living alumna. Brown received a standing ovation as Dr. Allen described her life as “a powerful testament to the resilience, purpose, and enduring spirit of Delaware State University.”
DSU’s Early College School also made history on this day, as six of its high school students – Brooklyn Little, Conner Little, Jiulyna Richard, Morountodun Ajayi, Bradley Fomundam, and Sydney Hall – became the first to complete their Associate’s Degrees while at the same time completing their secondary education.
The above Brooklyn Little and Conner Little (twins) made family DSU history as their brother, Matthew Little – also an Early College High School alumnus – walked across the Commencement stage to receive his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.
The undergraduate keynote address was delivered by Thasunda Brown Duckett, President and CEO of TIAA and one of only two Black women currently leading a Fortune 500 company.
Speaking directly to graduates about legacy, leadership, and perseverance, Ms. Duckett reflected on the generations who fought for access to higher education and challenged graduates to use their success to create opportunities for others.
“You have been blessed with something rare,” Ms. Duckett said. “Admission. Not just to this university, but to a future that was hard won for you.”
Duckett spoke about growing up in a family that viewed education as “non-negotiable and life-sustaining” and reflected on navigating spaces where she often did not see people who looked like her.
“I could decide that my presence itself was a form of progress,” she said. “That choice to show up fully, to lean in rather than shrink back, is what I hope you carry with you.”
She also encouraged graduates to embrace change and uncertainty in a rapidly evolving world shaped by artificial intelligence, economic shifts, and social transformation.
“Your competitive advantage isn’t what you know today, but your ability to keep learning, to adapt, and to lead through uncertainty,” Ms. Duckett said.
In addition to celebrating graduates crossing the stage, the university recognized several graduates with Presidential Academic Awards and Presidential Leadership Awards for excellence inside and outside the classroom.
Presidential Academic Awards recipients:
● Nyla Cheney | Psychology | Reading, Pennsylvania
● Noah Dixon | Agriculture | Felton, Delaware
● Dapria L. Fell | Mass Communications | Washington, D.C.
● Julienn Csiana Farrow Harris | Kinesiology | Ewing, New Jersey
● Jesly Nmeri Jason | Biological Sciences | Smyrna, Delaware
● Valery Louis | Computer Science | Dover, Delaware
● Nila Virginia Mills | Elementary Education (K-6) | Dover, Delaware
● Jemimah Ndi | Political Science | Middletown, Delaware
● Suhaylah Aminah Pitts | Biological Sciences | Wilmington, Delaware
● Darius Sharif | Physical Education | West Bloomfield, Michigan
● Kasani Thomas | Biological Sciences | Woodbridge, New Jersey
● Celine Ayinke Lucia Trombi | Hospitality & Tourism Management | Townsend, Delaware
● Asia M. Watson | Psychology | Columbia, South Carolina
Presidential Leadership Awards recipients:
● Leah Denise Brown | Sport Management | Snellville, Georgia
● Brandon Jacob Poplar | Law Studies | Lake Orion, Michigan
During the graduate commencement ceremony, keynote speaker Rosie Allen-Herring, the newly named interim President and CEO of United Way Worldwide, spoke about service, humility, leadership, and the enduring impact of historically Black colleges and universities.
A proud HBCU graduate herself, Allen-Herring reflected on growing up in Greenville, Mississippi, in a family deeply rooted in HBCU education and service to others.
“Our parents instilled in us two lessons,” she said. “First, they taught us that your life is only worth living if you’re serving someone else. Second, they taught us education was our equalizer.”
Allen-Herring challenged graduates to carry those lessons forward by “acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly,” encouraging students to lead with integrity, compassion, and a commitment to uplifting others.
“When you walk across this stage today, you’ll be handed a degree, but you will also inherit a legacy,” she said. “A legacy from people who understood that fairness, opportunity, and dignity belong to everyone.”
She closed by reminding graduates that they are prepared for whatever comes next.
“You are already ready,” Allen-Herring said. “You’re ready not because you have all the answers, but because you know how to ask the right questions.”
Both the undergraduate and graduate Commencement keynote speakers were each awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.
As graduates celebrated with classmates, embraced family members, and posed for photos across campus, speakers throughout the day returned to a common message that the Class of 2026 now carries forward the university’s 135-year legacy of excellence, leadership, and service.