Master's and doctoral students from schools and colleges across the University of St. Thomas gathered in the Lee & Penny Anderson Arena for two commencement ceremonies celebrating the Class of 2026.
The 9:30 a.m. ceremony honored graduate students from the Morrison Family College of Health and the Opus College of Business, while the 12:30 p.m. ceremony celebrated graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences, The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity, the School of Engineering and the School of Education. The School of Law held its commencement ceremony the previous weekend.
Among the student speakers was Amanda Thooft, who earned her doctorate in social work from the Morrison Family College of Health after previously receiving both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from St. Thomas.
“As it relates to St. Thomas, I kept returning to one question: what is it about this place that has called me back again and again since I first arrived as a freshman in the year 2000?” Thooft said. “The answer I’ve realized is simple … this place feels like home.”
Throughout her remarks at the morning ceremony, Thooft referred to the university’s mission of educating leaders for the common good and the ways small acts of care and recognition can shape a person’s sense of belonging.
“Long after the lectures fade and the assignments are forgotten, what stays with us are the moments when someone made us feel seen,” she said.
Thooft closed with a lesson passed down from her father that was a recurring theme throughout her speech.
“Say hi to the cooks,” she said. “And thank the bus driver. Because by seeing people is where the common good begins.”
Pictured: Ashley Lang and Erin Whipkey
Pictured: Alisa Lamont
Pictured: Kha Yang
Pictured: Erin Whipkey
At the afternoon ceremony, The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity theology graduate Emma Chaplin reflected on finding meaning in ordinary moments and everyday acts of service.
“There is glory in the mundane,” Chaplin told graduates. “In the small. In the seemingly insignificant.”
Chaplin encouraged graduates to resist measuring the value of their education solely through titles or accomplishments, describing how her studies reshaped the way she views work, purpose and relationships.
“What I do doesn’t matter quite as much as how I do it,” she said.
At both ceremonies, University President Rob Vischer reminded graduates to pause and appreciate the significance of commencement before turning their attention to what comes next.
“There will always be something big coming next to worry about,” Vischer said. “This is a moment for joy.”
