Love Letter to the Class of 2026
By Victoria Gómez, Contributing Writer, and Journey Manuel, Guest Writer
Dear Beloved Class of 2026,
We found each other in moments that didn’t always feel like beginnings. Some of us arrived with a full schedule and a full heart. Some of us arrived through a screen first, learning how to belong before we ever set foot on campus. Some of us weren’t sure if we were meant to stay. And yet, we did. We stayed through the long commutes, through the “just one more assignment,” through the moments where leaving felt easier than continuing. We stayed, and we built something memorable.
We found our way into classrooms that slowly started to feel like ours. In events where music carried across campus, and for a moment, everything felt better. Special shoutout to Culture Fest, Welcome Back Block Party, Homecoming Week, Alumni Dinner, Spring Fest, and Grad Week. In spaces where culture wasn’t just acknowledged, but shared, celebrated, and lived. We learned how to say yes before we felt ready. Yes to leadership. Yes to research. Yes to opportunities that didn’t come with a guide, only the belief that we could figure it out.
Some of us created spaces where there weren’t any: the library, the cafe, our offices, the dorms, and the gym, places for conversation, for creativity, for people to gather and stay a little longer. Some of us found our voice by helping tell the stories of others, capturing what this campus looks like, feels like, and stands for.
We learned that the community we made built itself. In studying moments. In late conversations. In showing up again and again for those we care about, including ourselves. Somewhere along the way, what once felt unfamiliar started to feel like something we belonged to. What once felt temporary became something lasting. We built a lasting legacy that will inspire future Jaguars.
We Are GovState.
Not because we all had the same path, but because we made something meaningful out of the paths we were given. Because we showed up. Because we stayed in the unknown. And now, here we are. Not the same people who started this journey, but people who grew through it. People who are ready for what comes next, even if we’re still figuring it out.
So wherever you go next, take this with you: the ability to build community, the strength to keep going, and the reminder that you’ve already done something worth being proud of. Because you did that here. And no matter where we go, GovState will always be a part of us.
Stay cool and true, have a victorious journey,
Victoria and Journey
2026 Student Commencement Speakers
