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Utah Valley University's annual Commencement is held in the UCCU Center on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Orem.

Jay Drowns, UVU Marketing

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Utah Valley University's annual Commencement is held in the UCCU Center on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Orem.

Jay Drowns, UVU Marketing

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Utah Valley University's annual Commencement is held in the UCCU Center on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Orem.

Jay Drowns, UVU Marketing

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Utah Valley University's annual Commencement is held in the UCCU Center on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Orem.

Jay Drowns, UVU Marketing

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Utah Valley University's annual Commencement is held in the UCCU Center on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Orem.

Jay Drowns, UVU Marketing

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Utah Valley University's annual Commencement is held in the UCCU Center on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Orem.

Jay Drowns, UVU Marketing

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Utah Valley University's annual Commencement is held in the UCCU Center on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Orem.

Jay Drowns, UVU Marketing

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Utah Valley University’s commencement ceremony Wednesday night signaled the end of Astrid S. Tuminez’s tenure as university president and the close of an academic year marked by tragedy on campus. 

In her parting words to graduating students before she steps down, Tuminez told them to cultivate joy despite their life circumstances.

“In especially difficult times, I believe it becomes ever more important to choose and create joy,” she said at the UCCU Center. “It is a form of beautiful rebellion.”

UVU’s 2026 graduating class of 13,400 students is the largest in school history, a figure that more than doubles the number of graduates when Tuminez became president in 2018.

Tuminez called UVU a place of first, second and third chances. Of the 2026 graduates, 41% are 25 or older, and nearly a third are the first in their family to graduate from college.

“These graduates remind us that it is never too late to pursue our dreams,” she said. “They represent perseverance, growth and hope. I have seen the determination of this class up close. I know that they will leave UVU prepared, not only for successful careers, but for lives filled with purpose, service and resilience.”

Their final school year will forever be tied to what occurred on campus on Sept. 10, 2025, when conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed in an outdoor courtyard at UVU in front of thousands of people. 

The incident prompted the school to launch an independent review of security measures, and heightened security was seen at events on campus throughout the year. The man charged with killing Kirk, Tyler Robinson, is awaiting trial and faces capital punishment. 

Controversy surrounded Wednesday’s commencement ceremony when UVU initially announced Sharon McMahon, a social media influencer and teacher, as commencement speaker.

Conservative groups at UVU and state leaders called the decision “tone deaf,” pointing toward a since-deleted social media post made on Sept. 12, two days after Kirk’s assassination, in which McMahon shared quotes from Kirk followed by her own thoughts, saying “millions of people feel they were harmed” by his remarks. 

UVU reversed course on April 16, saying McMahon would no longer speak, citing “increased safety concerns.” Instead, Tuminez gave the commencement speech to graduates.

In an apparent show of support to McMahon, Tuminez paraphrased a “famous influencer of the internet who’s also a history teacher” by saying “Joy is a choice that we make each morning, and we don’t have the luxury of joylessness if you want to make progress.” 

Tuminez shared with students how she has learned to cultivate joy in her own life.

When she took the stage, graduates picked up green pom-poms from beneath their seats and waved them in the air — a nod to Tuminez’s habit of bringing pom-poms to Wolverines athletic events. She said one way to find joy is to “wave your pom-poms,” along with other small acts.

“Small and simple things are holy,” she said. “What delights you, invest in your delight. Walk barefoot on the grass, stay in bed all day — occasionally — pop some dark chocolate in your mouth, close your eyes and swish that chocolate around with your tongue.”

Tuminez said as a child she had knobby knees due to malnourishment, and was embarrassed and ashamed. She said “we all have versions of knobby knees” and told graduates they have nothing to be ashamed of.

“Tell your inner child, you are grown, you’re strong, you’re beautiful, you have everything you need inside of you,” she said.

She told them to read books, to laugh, and to pay attention to the world around them.

“We waste a lot of time missing or regretting the past and worrying and fantasizing about a future that hasn’t arrived,” she said. “To be truly present in the moment can make everything better. We slow down time. We experience more of our fleeting and precious human life. Our gratitude and joy increase.”

UVU previously announced Tuminez would step down as president on May 1 to devote more time to family and personal pursuits. She recently lost her husband, Jeffrey S. Tolk, on Feb. 5, 2025.

Under her presidential leadership, UVU increased its enrollment by more than 20% while doubling the graduates. The school also saw several infrastructure upgrades, with the construction of the Noorda Center for the Performing Arts, the Scott C. Keller Building and UCCU Stadium, among other new facilities.