Spring Commencement 2026
Nancy Rodas De Leon smiled even as she cried Friday night, accepting hugs, flowers, stuffed animals and stoles from extended family.
“These are happy tears,” said Rodas De Leon, who previously earned both her undergraduate and master’s degrees at UC Merced. The eldest of five children, she said it was hard to believe she was now a doctor of psychological sciences.
Rodas De Leon’s growth mirrors that of her university, which culminated its 20th anniversary year with commencement ceremonies that conferred degrees on a record-setting 1,649 undergraduates and 112 graduate students. UC Merced issued its 1,000th doctorate degree, an accomplishment marked by cannons shooting blue and gold streamers over the Graduate Division ceremony, accompanied by Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now.”
The Class of 2026 may be leaving the campus behind, but the university these Bobcats have called home will be with them forever, Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz said.
“Whatever your next step, embrace the intrepid spirit that is emblematic of UC Merced as you move into your new lives and careers,” Muñoz told the Class of 2026.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Graduate Division
Emily Reed, ’07, ’13
Professor of Biology
Merced College
School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts
Dr. Zi Wang, ’11
Vascular Neurologist & Medical Director
Primary Stroke Center at Sutter Memorial Medical Center
School of Engineering & School of Natural Sciences
Christien Lindblöm, ’11
Regional Director of Campos EPC
Founder of Lindblöm Engineering, LLC
Student Speakers
Robert Hicks, Mechanical Engineering
School of Engineering and School of Natural Sciences
Jacee Bento, Psychology
School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts
