Oregon Tech’s 2026 Commencement Highlights First Graduates in New, Workforce-Focused Degrees; Presents OHSU President Elnahal with Honorary Doctorate

The Oregon Institute of Technology Klamath Falls Class of 2026 moved its mortarboard tassels to the left as President Nagi Naganathan, Ph.D., concluded the 78th Annual Commencement Ceremony held Saturday at the John. F. Moehl Stadium.

"Commencement is a celebration of personal growth, of the merits of hard work, and the opportunities afforded by higher education," President Naganathan said. "Today, we celebrate those who will enter the workforce with not only the knowledge and skills to succeed, but also as global citizens contributing to the greater good of society as a whole. Our graduates will lead lives more interconnected than ever before, and I am so proud of the role Oregon Tech has played in preparing the next generation of leaders."

This year's commencement marked a significant moment of growth for Oregon Tech, with the university celebrating the first graduating cohorts from four programs: the Bachelor of Science in Allied Health, Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences, Master of Science in Natural Resources, and the joint Oregon Tech-OHSU Doctor of Physical Therapy program. These inaugural graduates reflect Oregon Tech's continued investment in developing relevant, workforce-focused degrees.

Helping the university celebrate commencement were guest presenters:

• Keynote speaker: Dr. Shereef Elnahal, OHSU President;
• Graduating students: Miranda Valle, Biology-Health Sciences, and Amoi Rutherford Storm, Mechanical Engineering; and
• Alumni representative: Shauna Ruse, with Oregon Tech degrees in Industrial Management, Electronics Engineering, and Computer Systems Engineering Technology.

The ceremony also celebrated another special moment for Oregon Tech: the awarding of Oregon Tech's first honorary degree of Doctor of Science to OHSU President Dr. Shereef Elnahal.

Oregon Tech Board of Trustees Chair John Davis read the honorary degree citation, which began: "Dr. Shereef Elnahal, your career stands as a testament to the conviction that the highest purpose of medicine is to serve those who need it most."

After thanking Chair Davis and President Naganathan for the honorary doctorate from Oregon's only polytechnic university, Dr. Elnahal shared the history of the Oregon Tech Klamath Falls campus and its geothermal origins. "Class of 2026, your very own campus is a lesson of life. The warmth that carries you is almost never the warmth on the surface. It's the heat you find by going deep, through the pressure, through the dark, to the part of yourself that almost nobody else can see, but you know it's there.

"This community, Klamath Falls, gave you something precious. It gave you the chance to serve others while it quietly changed your own life for the better. So here is the charge: some of you will stay rural, many of you will leave…but wherever you land, find your way into giving back to rural Americans."

Following Dr. Elnahal, graduating students Miranda and Amoi reflected on their Oregon Tech experiences. Miranda encouraged her classmates to pause and recognize their accomplishments and the role of gratitude in their journey, while Amoi spoke about the realities of an imperfect path and the importance of persistence in the face of failure.

"What my time here has taught me is the importance of gratitude and appreciation," Miranda said. "It's not only important for those around you to feel appreciated, but it's also good for your own well-being to stop, look around, and remember the things that are more important in life."

"Earning a degree was never about being perfect; it was about being persistent," Amoi said. "It was about learning how to recover when things did not go as planned and continuing forward even in the face of uncertainty. That is something I hope we carry with us beyond today. Yes, technical knowledge matters very much but resilience, adaptability, and the ability to move through the unfamiliar is what will keep pushing us forward."

Helping the university conclude the ceremony, alumni representative Shauna shared: "You now join thousands of graduates from the past 77 years, living and thriving across the world. And your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to be part of a global network of alumni, bound together by something simple but powerful: lasting friendships." One of those graduates is her own son, Jordan, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering Technology.

A tradition of connection across generations was also evident, as Shauna invited Golden Owls (alumni who graduated 40 or more years ago) and alumni to join graduates on the field to begin turning the tassel from the right to the left, welcoming the Class of 2026 as alumni.

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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.

Oregon Tech's Portland-Metro campus in Wilsonville will celebrate its commencement ceremony June 14.

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