Morehead State honors graduates at Spring 2026 Commencement
Morehead State University honored nearly 700 graduates at ceremonies on May 9.
Morehead State celebrated these students' academic accomplishments in front of family, friends, loved ones, faculty, staff, fellow students, and MSU alumni. MSU President Dr. Jay Morgan offered congratulations and conferred the degrees while also recognizing all first-generation college students.
The ceremonies honored graduates of the Caudill College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, the Elmer R. Smith College of Business & Technology, the College of Science & Engineering, and the Ernst & Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education. The ceremonies also included the commissioning of ROTC officers.
During the morning ceremony, Ryan Holderby (Class of 2026) of Salyersville was the commencement speaker representing the Ernst & Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education. A recipient of the Kentucky Educators Association Marvin Dodson-Clark Perkins Scholarship, Holderby served as vice president of the Appalachian Future Educators, the College of Education representative to the MSU Student Government Association and was involved with the Kentucky Education Association-Aspiring Educators. He completed educational experiences abroad in South Korea and Peru and was selected by the Kentucky Center for Mathematics to present conceptual math. Holderby plans to enter the teaching profession as a middle school math and social studies teacher, serving the students of the Eastern Kentucky region.
"Even though our experiences may look different, our growth and perseverance are what define us and connect us as a class," Holderby said. "So, as we leave here today, I want to challenge all of you with this: Do not allow your success to be defined by characteristics such as grades, titles and especially what others think of you. Instead, define your success by how you apply the skills you have learned here at MSU and how you continue to grow, even when there is a syllabus no longer guiding you."
During the afternoon commencement ceremony, Marcella Muadi Batubenga (Class of 2026) of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, was the commencement speaker representing the Elmer R. Smith College of Business & Technology. Muadi Batubenga served in multiple roles within the campus community. She was president of the International Student Association and a member of the Methodist Student Center, Chi Alpha Campus Ministries. She also served as a resident advisor for the Office of Student Housing, a student ambassador for the dean's office of the Smith College of Business & Technology, and as a Student Alumni Ambassador. Muadi Batubenga gained valuable experience at the UK St. Claire Hospital in Morehead, where she volunteered as the primary communication point for inpatients in 2025 and served as a student intern in human resources beginning in February 2026. She plans to pursue a career in healthcare management.
"While we cannot control time or circumstances, we can control our effort, our attitude and our choices," Muadi Batubenga said. "As you go out into the world, take with you the values, skills, resilience and grit you gained here at MSU. Be adaptable. Be intentional. Be people of integrity. Be resilient. Be diligent. And live with purpose. Go and soar high, Eagles. You are capable of it, and so much more. This is only the beginning."
