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Spring 2026 Commencement at ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ on May 14 at EagleBank Arena honored more than 12,000 graduates and certificate recipients. George Mason photographers captured the excitement and spirit of the day.

Neuroscience major Saniya Darediya was this year's student Commencement speaker.

¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ honored its graduates at Spring Commencement with a trio of well-received speakers who delivered messages of resilience, preparation, and celebrating differences. The ceremony, livestreamed on George Mason’s YouTube channel Thursday morning from EagleBank Arena, honored more than 12,000 degree and certificate earners.

Beginning a PhD is rarely straightforward. Beginning one just as the world shuts down adds an entirely new dimension to adaptability. For ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ biosciences PhD student Matthew Lefkowitz, that quality would come to define his doctoral journey.

Together, the Marshes devoted a combined 90 years to George Mason Athletics before retiring in 2021. Their careers shaped generations of student-athletes, coaches, and staff, leaving an enduring imprint on the university community.

To learn through experience and gain a competitive edge, finance and accounting students from the Costello College of Business at ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ participated in the Costello Fellows on Wall Street program, connecting with major financial services firms and alumni in New York City. What has become an annual tradition continues to grow, with participation expanding significantly—from 10 students in previous years to approximately 30 this year.

At George Mason, Zarin Musarrat Niladree learned that science is ultimately an act of care. This led her to pursue medicine with the goal of becoming the kind of physician who makes patients feel safe.

In May 2026, Duong Thuy Nguyen is graduating with a 4.0 GPA, an Academic Excellence Award from her department, and a Capstone team leadership under her belt. In the fall, she’ll be back as a graduate student in George Mason’s accelerated bachelor’s-to-master’s program.

A cybersecurity major and long-distance runner, Simeon Omorodion found the same logic threading through both pursuits: structure, persistence, and a tolerance for discomfort that eventually becomes growth.

When ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ senior Avery Butler was 16, his family traveled to Cambodia to visit the Killing Fields, the massacre sites associated with the country’s brutal Khmer Rouge era. The experience would change Butler’s perspective on life and inspire him to pursue a professional career in peacebuilding.

For Honors College student and University Scholar Monica Amaya, the journey to a degree isn’t just about the final walk across the stage—it’s about a promise she made to her family and herself years ago.

At its final meeting of the academic year, the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ Board of Visitors  saluted graduates from the Early Identification Program, received an update on the men’s basketball program from Coach Tony Skinn, and passed a six-year capital plan, among other actions, including approval of a tuition and fees increase for 2026-27.