Denair High School Class of 2026 valedictorian Emma Sarmiento said that her commencement speech will focus on how “we’ve developed and transformed from being kids into young adults with knowledge and memories and experiences that will help us in the future.”
Sarmiento will be giving that speech in front of her fellow graduates, families, friends and classmates at Denair’s graduation ceremony set for 7 p.m. Friday at Jack Lytton Stadium, one of the area’s first high school commencement ceremonies to be held this season.
Sarmiento’s sentiments will likely be echoed by the various student speakers at local high school graduation ceremonies set to take place over the next few weeks.
Turlock Unified School District graduation ceremonies will begin on May 26 with the On Track Adult Transition celebration at 4 p.m. at the Turlock High P.A. Building. eCademy Charter will hold its high school graduation at 5:30 p.m. May 26 on the eCademy Charter campus.
The Turlock Adult School graduation ceremony is set for 5:30 p.m. May 27 at Turlock Adult School, followed by the Roselawn High ceremony at 7:30 p.m. May 27 at Roselawn.
The Pitman High School commencement ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. May 28 at PHS.
May 29 will be a busy day for local graduation ceremonies with Turlock Christian’s event set for 5 p.m. at Monte Vista Chapel and both Turlock High School and Hughson High School will hold their events at 7 p.m. May 29 at their respective high school stadiums.
Hilmar High School will hold its graduation ceremony at 7:45 p.m. June 4 at McSweeney Field on the HHS campus.
Look for a list of local high school graduates and photos of ceremonies in the June 10 issue of the Journal.
Modesto Junior College and Merced College both held their respective 2026 commencement ceremonies on May 1.
UC Merced held its commencement ceremonies May 15-17. Degrees were conferred on a record-setting 1,649 undergraduates and 112 graduate students, among whom UC Merced issued its 1,000th doctorate degree. Accompanied by Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now," cannons shot blue and gold streamers over the Graduate Division ceremony to mark the achievement.
Further commemorating the university's historic moment, this year's keynote speakers were alumni from UC Merced's early years.
"I stand before you deeply honored and humbled to represent the alumni of this remarkable institution," Dr. Zi Wang, '11 told graduates of the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts. Wang is a board-certified vascular neurologist and physician leader in Modesto who graduated from UC Merced with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in public health. "(This is) a university that, not long ago, many people had never even heard of… and today stands among the top public universities in the nation, R1 in academic research, and a leader in social mobility."
Stanislaus State will host five days of graduation ceremonies: 8 a.m. May 26 for the College of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; 8 a.m. May 27 for the College of Science; 8 a.m. May 28 for the College of Education, Kinesiology and Social Work; and 8 a.m. May 29 for the College of Business Administration.
One of the hundreds of graduates who will be walking in a Stanislaus State ceremony is Turlock native Kayla Stephan. She said Stanislaus State has always felt like home.
Long before she enrolled as a student, Stephan’s connection to the university was already part of her life. She attended preschool at the Child Development Center, learned to drive on campus roads and grew up just minutes away in Turlock. Several of her family members also graduated from Stan State.
“I chose to attend Stan State because it was essentially my destiny before I was even born,” Stephan said. “There are endless memories that I share with Stanislaus State. A big part of my life just revolves around the university.”
As a communication studies major with a concentration in public communication and media and a minor in psychology, Stephan built a 4.0 GPA while developing a deeper understanding of empathy, communication and human connection.
“I plan to use my Stan State degree to simply help people learn to communicate properly,” Stephan said. “I think people naturally develop ways to communicate that are ultimately harmful to the people around them. This can drive apart friendships, families, coworkers, neighbors and more. The goal is to help people properly express their thoughts in a way that encourages empathy or consideration of how others are feeling.”
