By Anthony Howard and Jatavian Walker
(JACKSON, Miss.) — Jackson State University honored its Spring 2026 graduate class during commencement exercises at the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center, celebrating students whose academic journeys reflected perseverance, global scholarship and personal triumph.
JSU’s 14th president, Denise Jones Gregory, Ph.D., presided over her first commencement ceremony since being named in April. She said the Spring 2026 graduating class reflects the university’s mission of academic excellence, leadership development and student success, noting that the graduates continue to demonstrate resilience and readiness to serve communities locally and globally.
“Jackson State University is proud to celebrate the Class of 2026 and all they have accomplished to reach this moment,” said Gregory. “Commencement is a special time on our campus. It marks the work our students have put in and the people who supported them along the way. We are grateful to everyone who helped make this moment possible and look forward to recognizing our graduates as they step into this next chapter.”
The ceremony featured keynote remarks from Dr. Jelani C. Zarif at the Jackson State University Spring 2026 Graduate Commencement Ceremony, who encouraged graduates to embrace resilience, purpose and long-term growth.
“It’s not necessarily a sprint; it’s a journey—and the journey is worth it,” said Zarif, an award-winning researcher who holds the Robert E. Meyerhoff endowed professorship at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. He urged graduates to reframe challenges as preparation for leadership and impact.
“There will be moments when the path feels uncertain,” he said, emphasizing that success is built through sustained effort and perseverance. “But those moments are not meant to break you—they are meant to build you.”
Zarif also challenged graduates to view their degrees as a call to service. “Your degree is not just a personal achievement— it is a responsibility to serve, to lead and to uplift others.”
Among the graduates was Tameka J. Battle from Jackson, Mississippi, who earned an Education Specialist degree in K–12 Administration and Supervision while overcoming a breast cancer diagnosis.
Battle said she continued her academic work throughout treatment with support from JSU faculty and staff. “This degree was very hard for me,” she said. “While within the program here at Jackson State, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.”
She added that perseverance and support carried her through the program. “My professors and my department chair… worked with me as far as getting my courses done,” she said. “But God gave me the strength and the power to accomplish this goal.”
Battle shared that she was diagnosed as cancer-free in February 2026.
The ceremony also recognized Edna Carolyn Frazier McCallum, a member of JSU’s “Golden Class,” who returned to campus decades after first earning her degrees in music and education.
McCallum reflected on her longstanding connection to the university. “I loved every minute of Jackson State,” she said. “I just loved the music industry.”
She noted the significance of returning alongside family generations connected to JSU. “I’m so proud that she followed in my footsteps,” she said, referencing her granddaughter, a 2023 JSU graduate.
Graduate Shadrack Barffour Awuah from Ghana earned a master’s degree in Public Health after completing undergraduate medical studies in Ukraine. He said JSU’s research focus drew him to the university.
“I love Public Health,” Awuah said. “Reading through how they are very active in research was the main reason why it led me to come here [Jackson State].”
Southern New Jersey native and doctoral graduate Armando Rijo earned a Ph.D. in Urban Higher Education. He credited JSU’s cohort model and academic community for supporting his success.
“It was a great experience,” Rijo said. “They really held me down and kept me moving throughout the entire program.”
