109th Undergraduate Commencement Celebrates the Class of 2026

On Sunday, May 17, the Assumption community, along with distinguished guests, family, and friends, gathered to celebrate the academic achievements of the Class of 2026.

304 students walked across the stage to receive their diploma, with 59 graduates achieving double majors and two achieving a triple major. Students from 15 states and territories and 11 countries outside the United States were represented in the graduating class.

Valedictorian Julia Forest, a communication and media major from Rutland, Massachusetts, reflected on the Class of 2026’s shared journey, grounding her remarks in the Light the Way Ceremony, an event during first year orientation where students receive unlit candles to hold, light, and ensure each other’s stay lit through the ceremony.

“Each one of those candles represents a person, and each one of those candles matters and is needed,” said Forest. “Together, those candles create one large light that represents an entire class.”

Describing a close-knit student experience shaped by connection and support, Forest emphasized the enduring bonds formed during the past four years. “In every way, we are a company of friends,” she said. “We were always there to support and cheer each other on to keep our flames ablaze. Even through our challenges, our lights never faded.”

She encouraged her classmates to carry that spirit forward beyond Assumption. “You can be a trailblazer. Class of 2026, continue to use your Assumption experience and education to light the way,” Forest said. “We will make the world a brighter place.”

Salutatorian Claire Pastrone, a music and psychology double major, introduced commencement speaker Roosevelt Montás, highlighting his commitment to expanding access to liberal arts education.

“Throughout his career, Dr. Montás has championed liberal arts education and the reading of the great books for all,” Pastrone said, noting his belief that such study helps students “find their purpose and become active contributing citizens to our society.”

Montás delivered a thought-provoking address centered on the importance of rest, reflection, and freedom in a fast-paced world.

“While all our doing may be good, only from a place of rest can we approach that which is sacred in our lives,” Montás said. 

Challenging graduates to resist constant striving, he urged them to embrace moments of stillness: “Make space for your time and energy to unfold before you without trying to achieve anything.”

He framed leisure not as inactivity, but as a form of freedom rooted in a true liberal education. “True education is not preparation for work; it is preparation for freedom,” Montás said. “Only by standing outside the fray of action can you determine which things are actually worth doing.”

An honorary doctorate of humane letters was bestowed upon Montás following his remarks, followed by the conferral of degrees upon the Class of 2026.  

President Greg Weiner, in his remarks, celebrated the graduates and reflected on the deeper purpose of education, emphasizing joy as central to the Assumption experience.

“Our society has done everything possible to wring the joy, the true joy, out of learning. My charge to you is to embody that joy instead,” Weiner said. 

He urged graduates not to reduce their education to financial outcomes, reminding them that the most meaningful aspects of learning are not transactional. “The world in which you have lived during your time at Assumption—the world of ideas of truth and beauty and goodness—is the real world,” he said. “It is, in fact, the only world that is real, because it is the only world that endures.” 

Weiner encouraged the class to carry forward the values they cultivated on campus. “Do not ever stop being who you are right now,” he said. “The real world you will shape is the one you carry forth from Assumption. It is not dismal—it is beautiful.”

Weiner also gave a special shoutout to the seniors on the softball team, who had to miss commencement to play in their championship tournament on Sunday. 

Those Greyhounds were celebrated on the afternoon of May 18, after advancing, for the first time in program history, to the 2026 NCAA Division II Super Regional Softball Tournament. They will play again on May 21 and 22 in a best of three contest against St. Thomas Aquinas College. 

At their special ceremony, the President’s Cabinet wore Greyhound baseball caps, and Weiner praised the graduating seniors for their dedication to their team and their incredible example of friendship. 

“I am guessing many of you desired to be at commencement yesterday. You deserved to be,” he said. “But you chose to be with your teammates and engage in a common endeavor, and for that shining and enduring example of friendship, we thank you.”

At the close of the ceremony, Vice President for University Advancement Jeff Gillooly officially welcomed graduates into the Assumption alumni community.

“You have officially transitioned from an Assumption student to a newly minted, proud Assumption alum,” Gillooly said. “Your undergraduate student mission may have ended, but your alumni mission is just beginning.”