Oregon Tech’s Portland‑Metro Class of 2026 Celebrates Commencement with Keynote from Senator Kate Lieber

The Oregon Institute of Technology Class of 2026 moved their graduation tassels to the left Sunday as President Nagi Naganathan, Ph.D., concluded the 40th Annual Portland-Metro Commencement Ceremony. Oregon Tech's Klamath Falls campus celebrated commencement Saturday.

President Naganathan opened the event by welcoming attendees and encouraging graduates to improve the human condition through real work and real impact.

"Today, we celebrate not only your accomplishments. We celebrate the alignment of your heart and your mind around a purpose," President Naganathan said. "Over these years at Oregon Tech, you have been preparing for more than a job. More than a title. You have been preparing to live with intention, to see the world as it is, but then ask how you might leave it better than you found it. Regardless of your field, you share one purpose: to apply knowledge, skill, and character to improve lives and strengthen the communities that need you most."

Continuing the event, Oregon Tech was honored to welcome Oregon Senator Kate Lieber as the ceremony's keynote speaker, who brought levity, praise, and encouragement. Senator Lieber represents Senate District 14, serving the communities of Beaverton, Aloha, and Southwest Portland.

"You are engineers, and clinical laboratory scientists, and software developers, and renewable energy experts, in other words, you actually know how things work," Senator Lieber said.

Drawing on her experience in public service, she shared important takeaways with graduates to help them stay on track. "Your work will matter more than your title. You are graduating with degrees in fields that Oregon desperately needs…I spent the last several years in Salem fighting for Oregon's future. For clean energy, for healthcare access, for good jobs, affordable housing, and I can tell you with certainty, every single one of those fights comes down to whether or not we have a person with the expertise to implement the legislation we pass. That's you.

"You will spend your careers in meetings and labs and projects and community boards where you might not be the loudest person or have the fanciest title but be useful anyway. Ask the questions someone is too scared to ask. Answer the questions no one else has an answer to. See the problem differently because of your training…Oregon has plenty of people to identify problems. What the world needs are people who fix them and never forget why you're fixing them and who you're fixing them for."

Following Senator Lieber's final guidance, which included valuable advice against white socks with Birkenstocks, Embedded Systems Engineering Technology graduate Griff Brandt provided remarks on behalf of the graduating class.

"Class of 2026: The world does not need more people performing intelligence," Griff said. "It needs people capable of wisdom. People capable of courage. People capable of remaining human when the world rewards the opposite. The path ahead will not be straight. Let it be real. Let it teach you. Let it break open what fear tried to close. Let it make you deeper instead of smaller."

Over the past year, Oregon Tech's Portland-Metro campus has continued to strengthen student engagement and community connection. The campus saw increased involvement across programs and events, including the opening of a new gym that has expanded opportunities for student wellness and connection. At the same time, staff and faculty have deepened collaboration with local industry and community organizations, reinforcing the campus's role in the Portland area. Students also brought their applied learning to the forefront through strong participation in events such as IDEAfest, where they shared project work and research with peers, faculty, staff, and community members. Together, these developments highlight a year of steady growth and expanded opportunity for students at the Portland-Metro campus.

Two notable graduates include Cari Blaker of Portland and Joe Martin of Coos Bay.

Cari graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Embedded Systems Engineering Technology, was recognized as the 2026 Outstanding Scholar for her program, and was part of an innovative team in 2025 that won the Hiram M. Hunt Award. This year, Cari developed and built a working "EEG Headband for Love," a brainwave display that shows real-time data to help users better understand the effects of meditation, emotion, and rest. In addition to her academic work, she was the lead singer and a founding member of the CSET-Portland-Metro band, performing at more than a dozen shows, including Portland's Buskathon. She was joined by her parents at the ceremony.

Joe earned his degree in Mechanical Engineering after eight years of leadership and involvement on the Portland-Metro campus. He supported multiple areas of campus, including work in Campus Life, the Rapid Prototype Laboratory makerspace, and as a teaching and laboratory assistant in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering. He also founded the Oregon Tech Robotics Competition Club, leading students through two seasons of VEX Robotics competitions and community service.

Oregon Tech's Class of 2026 includes 731 graduates: 459 who graduated from the Klamath Falls campus, 161 from the Portland-Metro campus, 128 from the Online campus, and the remaining graduates from partnership programs with Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Chemeketa Community College, and The Boeing Company.

Congratulations Oregon Institute of Technology Class of 2026.

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