Merced College celebrated the largest graduating class in its history last week, honoring the Class of 2026 during commencement ceremonies at the Los Banos Campus on April 30 and the Merced Campus on May 1.
More than 120 graduates crossed the stage at the Los Banos Campus ceremony, and nearly 675 more took part in the Merced ceremony. A total of more than 2,300 individual students were on track to earn a record-setting 4,087 degrees and certificates at Merced College in Spring 2026, pending final administrative review.
President Chris Vitelli opened both ceremonies by recognizing not only the graduates’ academic achievements, but also the persistence it took for many of them to reach commencement.
“As you leave here tonight, you’re not just taking a degree with you—you’re taking proof,” Vitelli told graduates. “Proof that you can do hard things. Proof that you can adapt, adjust, and keep moving forward even when things don’t go as planned.”
Merced County District Attorney Nicole Silveira, a Merced College alumna, served as the keynote speaker for both ceremonies. Silveira, who began her own higher education journey at Merced College before attending San Diego State University and earning her law degree from California Western School of Law, told graduates that her experience at the college helped shape her path forward.
“Coming to Merced College was the best thing that ever happened to me in setting me on the path to the life I lead today,” Silveira said. “It was at Merced College that I developed and strengthened the two attributes that I believe will carry you through anything in life.”
Los Banos Campus
The Los Banos Campus hosted its fourth annual commencement ceremony Thursday evening, marking another milestone for the growing Westside celebration. This year’s graduates from Los Banos and surrounding communities represented 774 degrees and certificates earned, another record.
The ceremony included remarks from student speaker Paschina Weedling, who graduated with an associate degree in public health. Weedling, an active member of Phi Theta Kappa and Alpha Gamma Sigma, helped establish a PTK presence on the Los Banos Campus, served as a tutor in the Student Success Center, and gave back to the community as a junior varsity girls basketball coach at Pacheco High School.
In her address, Weedling reflected on the many different paths students took to reach commencement.
“Some of us came straight from high school, ready to take our first steps into adulthood, while others came back to school after life took them in another direction,” Weedling said. “Some of us are transferring to four-year universities, while others are stepping into careers. But no matter how we got here, we all share one thing in common: We kept going.”
She told her classmates that their accomplishment was about more than diplomas.
“We are proof that success doesn’t come from a perfect path, it comes from persistence,” Weedling said. “To my fellow graduates: Never stop pushing yourselves. Never stop motivating yourselves. Never stop being proud. Not just of the diplomas we’re about to receive, but of the people we became along the way.”
The Los Banos ceremony also featured student poet Amal Marouf, a health science major, Phi Theta Kappa and Alpha Gamma Sigma member, library assistant at the Los Banos Campus, and student reporter for the Westside Express.
Marouf, who was recently named Poet Laureate at the Phi Theta Kappa Nevada/California Region Spring Convention, shared her poem “A Letter from the Future” during the Los Banos ceremony.
“You thought you were only surviving, but the future was forming in quiet mornings, in roads you almost took, in every moment you paused and still kept going,” Marouf read. “We are here now. Not perfect. Still standing.”
Merced Campus
The 63rd annual ceremony at the Merced campus was held Friday evening on Don Odishoo Field at Stadium ’76.
The ceremony included remarks from student speaker Evelyn Cisneros, a dedicated student, athlete, campus employee and full-time mother from Atwater. During her time at Merced College, Cisneros balanced a full academic course load while competing on the women’s soccer team and serving as a Welcome Center ambassador.
Cisneros told graduates that she first came to Merced College after graduating from Atwater High School in 2021, but stopped attending classes before returning with new purpose after becoming a mother.
“Merced College didn’t just give me an education—it gave me a second chance,” Cisneros said. “It gave me direction, confidence, and a future I am proud of.”
Before the presentation of diplomas, the college also honored Violette Pearl Walker, an El Capitan High School senior who passed away in January. Walker, who began taking Merced College classes in the sixth grade through the college’s dual enrollment program, was set to graduate this spring with two associate degrees and had earned a 3.9 GPA, qualifying for honors.
During Friday’s ceremony, the college awarded Walker a posthumous Associate in Arts degree in Social and Behavioral Science and an Associate in Arts degree in History for Transfer, inviting her family to cross the stage in honor of her achievement.
Across the two ceremonies, Merced College recognized 427 graduates eligible for honors distinction, 59 graduates earning President’s Honors, 82 Phi Theta Kappa graduates, 20 Alpha Gamma Sigma graduates and 15 Alpha Delta Nu honor society graduates.
Cisneros encouraged her classmates to keep growing beyond graduation and to carry forward the confidence they built at Merced College.
“If I could leave you with one piece of advice, it would be this: Find yourself, love yourself, and build a life you are proud of,” Cisneros said. “Growth doesn’t happen overnight, but if you keep showing up for yourself, it will happen.”
