‘Keep Going’: DMACC Class of 2026 Celebrates 3,500 Graduates Across Multiple Ceremonies

The story of DMACC's Spring 2026 graduation season - during which more than 3,500 students received credentials -- can be summarized in the words of one of its commencement speakers.

"We've got to keep going, not because it's easy, but because it matters."

Anika Garcia stood at the podium and looked out at the crowd where more than 100 fellow graduates and twice as many of their loved ones - plus dozens of DMACC faculty and staff - were seated in the Boone Campus Gym for the morning commencement ceremony, Friday, May 8.

Garcia began her speech by thanking God for the moment. Her faith, she said, gives every moment meaning and every situation purpose. Then, she gave a quick "shoutout" to the family, faculty, and other supporters who were sharing the moment.

"Because the graduates sitting here today would not be here without you," Garcia said.

"As a first-generation student raised by a single mom, the only thing I really understood growing up was survival," she continued. "Continuing my education was never part of my plan."

But somewhere along the way, that changed. DMACC Boone became a place where Garcia would grow in ways she could never have expected. There, she developed a love of learning, discovered an outlet for her empathy, and realized that she was not defined by her circumstances.

Garcia stepped into honors courses, tried research opportunities, and leaned into the unknown, following the passions placed on her heart.

And she encouraged her classmates to do the same: "Dive deep into what brings you joy and curiosity, because that can become the light that guides you," Garcia said.

Garcia's message at Boone's commencement ceremony symbolizes the emotional thread of the graduation season across the DMACC district: Growth rarely starts with certainty - it starts with the decision to try. And to keep trying.

Just two days earlier, on May 6, a sea of 1,200 blue caps filled the Casey's Center in Des Moines for the Metro Commencement Ceremony, marking the largest celebration of the week.

Interim President Dr. Liang Chee Wee shared a simple, powerful story about a student who nearly quit multiple times, only to be encouraged by his mother to give it "one more day." Those days added up - to confidence, to resilience, and ultimately, to graduation.

Student speaker Katie Forster, a nursing graduate, said her path to the Metro Commencement Ceremony podium wasn't perfectly linear, and like many of her peers, there were moments of uncertainty.

"But we kept going, and that's what brought us here today," Forster said, encouraging the class of 2026 to lead their lives with kindness, compassion, and integrity.

That same DMACC spirit was in the air May 7 outside the Perry VanKirk Career Academy, where nursing students marked their transition into the profession during the annual pinning ceremony - a tradition symbolizing both accomplishment and responsibility. Family members and loved ones stepped forward to pin students' scrubs, celebrating the long nights, clinical hours, and perseverance that brought them to the moment.

The ceremony also highlighted the strong network of faculty and staff who helped students succeed along the way. Perry Campus leaders recognized several employees and community partners whose dedication shaped the student experience, including Dorothy Stoltz, described as "a full-time rock star" for the way she supported students while balancing work and classes herself. Faculty members and adjunct instructors were praised not only for teaching, but for building programs, mentoring students, and helping students believe they belonged in higher education.

That sense of support extended beyond the ceremony itself. Afterward, Tacopalooza brought students, families, faculty, and community members together in a celebration that blended recognition with connection - reinforcing the idea that graduation milestones belong not just to individual students, but to the communities that helped carry them there.

Later that same day, the celebration continued in Carroll, where the stories became even more personal. Twins Tanner and Trevor crossed the stage together, earning welding diplomas side by side - a shared accomplishment years in the making. Nearby, the first cohort of the Early College Academy, launched in partnership with Carroll High School, celebrated earning associate degrees before even finishing high school, opening doors earlier than ever before. Nearly 16 students completed the program, representing a growing effort to expand college access for rural Iowa students.

And in one especially powerful moment, international student Ayu celebrated graduation surrounded by family members who had traveled all the way from Indonesia to witness the occasion. Her story, like so many others celebrated throughout the week, reflected the far-reaching impact of DMACC and the sacrifices families make to support education and opportunity.

Across Carroll, speakers encouraged graduates to measure success not only by careers or accomplishments, but by the impact they leave on the people around them - a theme that echoed throughout commencement week districtwide.

From Des Moines to Perry, Boone to Carroll, Spring 2026 graduation wasn't defined by a single stage or ceremony. It was defined by journeys - by students who kept going when things felt uncertain, who discovered confidence where there was once doubt, and who found purpose in the process.

And as Anika Garcia reminded her fellow graduates during her closing remarks in Boone, those journeys do not end at commencement. Standing before her classmates, Garcia acknowledged the uncertainty many graduates feel stepping into the future - and the choice to move forward anyway.

"It's easy to look around and feel like the world is on fire - like everything is uncertain, overwhelming, or even broken," Garcia said. "But somehow, in the middle of all that, we've been given the opportunity to keep learning, keep building and to keep moving forward."