May 6, 2026

Good morning, and welcome to the 139th Commencement of Temple University.

Before we proceed, I would like to first take a moment to recognize a special group of Temple alumni who are joining us today. We are delighted to welcome back to the nest our Golden Owls—alumni who graduated 50 or more years ago. This includes members of the distinguished Class of 1976.   

Golden Owls: Your presence here, and your remarkable stories of both professional and personal success, are a vivid reminder of the value of a Temple education and the impact of this alumni family.   

We are honored to have you here with us.

Now: Let’s hear it for our newest alumni—members of our extraordinary Class of 2026.    

Graduates, from this day forward, you are officially Temple Made. But we know you did not make it to this day alone, a lot of people—friends, classmates, teammates, teachers, professors, coaches, and most importantly, parents and family—have played a big part in your success.   

So how about giving a big hand to everyone who supported you, helping you grow into the talented, accomplished and caring individuals you are today?

Today marks both an ending and a beginning.  

You leave here with degrees.   

But you begin the next exciting chapter of your lives with an even more invaluable asset: a palpable, confident sense of who you are.   

You may be familiar with the advice that Polonius imparts to his departing son Laertes in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.   

It concludes with perhaps the most frequently quoted line of all of Shakespeare:   

“To thine own self be true.”   

But what do the words “To thine own self be true” really mean?  

In the strict sense, those words are an encouragement to be authentic in word and deed—right down to the subjects that you majored in, and the career paths you have chosen for yourselves.  

But should you interpret those words as a license to be true only to your individual selves—that is, to speak and to act as if others around you are of no or considerably less importance.   

Shouldn’t each of us always aim higher toward remaining true to our best selves?   

The one who aims every day to lift people up through the power of one’s words and deeds.   

The one who has the humility to say, “I was wrong”—and the courage to learn from one’s mistakes and continue to grow.   

The one who always works to leave any situation better than they found it.  

Being true to yourself is to be true to your values and your higher purpose.   

It is to be true to your unique talents and vision.   

It is to be true to the ongoing work of becoming a better version of the person your family, your friends and this university have helped you become.  

This sounds simple. But you already know it isn’t.  

The world you are entering is complex, fast-moving and frankly hard to make sense of.   

It will present opportunities to grow, to flourish and to serve.   

But the world also will generate pressures to conform and pressures to pursue success in ways that may not align with who you truly are.   

It will tempt you to betray your best selves and the people who matter most to you.   

It will furnish you with countless opportunities to take the easy way out—or simply to sell out.   

Those are the moments when staying true to your best self requires a whole lot of perseverance, and whole lot of courage.    

We see that perseverance and courage in the individual we honor today.  

Our Commencement speaker, Colman Domingo, embodies it.   

His career was not built on overnight success, but on decades of persistence, growth and dedication to his craft.  

He chose roles that challenged him and stories that mattered.   

In doing so, Colman Domingo brought what he calls “radical love” into the world—a reminder that when you remain true to your voice and version of your best self, you have a more profound impact on the world.   

Temple’s Class of 2026 is overflowing with exemplars of perseverance and courage.   

Your class speaker Jennifer Allen, who returned to Temple as a nontraditional student after several years away and today earns a bachelor’s degree in human development and community engagement. She is a living example of the art of resilience.  

Lauren Morris, whose work with Temple University Television has earned an Emmy Award and national recognition, tells stories with integrity, heart, and, crucially, no fear or favor.  

Michelle Tanujaya, a first-generation biology major, is an emerging star in scientific research who has worked at the same molecular biochemistry lab at Katz School of Medicine since she started at Temple.   

She also excels at serving and lifting others works—both as a teaching assistant and research scholar in the Minority Access to Research Careers program, and as president of the Foundations for International Medical Relief of Children.   

Each of you has taken your own path.   

But as Owls, all of you have already demonstrated the courage to be true to your better selves.   

On your diplomas, you will find the motto of Temple University: Perseverantia Vincit—Perseverance Conquers.  

Your presence here today is proof of that perseverance—and of your courage.  

Your Temple education has prepared you to be innovators, leaders and changemakers.   

Now, we are all counting on you to keep persevering to remain true to your best selves.  

Because when you do, you will solve seemingly impossible problems in new ways.   

You will create knowledge, healing, beauty and progress that serve the common good.  

You will lead more meaningful and fulfilling lives.   

And you will project the power of being Temple Made.  

Just as Colman Domingo has done throughout his career.   

Just as our Golden Owls have done for more than half a century.   

And just as you must now do.  

Stay true to who you are.   

Stay true to who you are becoming.   

And remember this: If you continue to lead with purpose, integrity and perseverance, the path on which you embark today will carry you farther than you can possibly see from this moment.   

Many of you will return to this campus 50 years from now as Golden Owls yourselves—and you will do so in 2076, when our nation celebrates its tricentennial.   

Picture that moment. A nation reflecting on 300 years of struggling and striving to realize its ideals …   

And you—the Class of 2026—returning to Temple as living proof of what courage, character and perseverance can achieve over a lifetime.  

My hope is that when that day comes, you will stand here with the same pride, the same spirit and the same sense of possibility that fills this ceremony today—knowing that you helped shape the world you inherited, and left it better off for those who will follow.  

Congratulations, graduates.