Congratulations, Class of 2026!

On May 17, nearly 6,000 graduates, family members, and friends joined faculty, staff, and administration at New York Institute of Technology’s Long Island campus to celebrate its 65th annual commencement.

The event celebrated 2,029 candidates for graduation from 67 countries and 36 states, 35 percent of whom are earning undergraduate degrees and the remainder earning graduate, medical, professional, postgraduate, and doctoral degrees. 

Twenty-five members of the Class of 2026 are veterans. The youngest undergraduate student is 20 years old; the oldest is 78. Among those students earning graduate, medical, professional, postgraduate, or doctoral degrees, the youngest is 21 years old and the oldest is 70. Sixteen percent of the Class of 2026 identify as first-generation college students, and now are the first in their families to be college graduates.

“As I complete my first year as president of New York Tech, I can say it has been a privilege to get to know this community better and to witness firsthand the determination, creativity, and ingenuity that define our students,” said Jerry Balentine, D.O., New York Tech president. “The Class of 2026 has been an important part of that story, and I am grateful to have shared in your journey.”

Balentine conferred honorary degrees upon Kevin S. Law, executive vice president and partner at TRITEC Development Group, where he chairs the affordable housing team, and Krishan Kumar, M.D., a clinical professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM). Law was honored with a Doctor of Laws. Kumar was honored with a Doctor of Science. Following the hooding, Law delivered the keynote address to the Class of 2026.

“Don’t be afraid to take chances. Don’t be afraid to change careers or change jobs,” said Law. “When I look out to this crowd, to all the students, I have hope. You are going to be our future leaders. And so, I’m excited about the future. I have hope for the future because of students like you. So, go seize the day. Congratulations to the class in 2026.”

Two members of the Class of 2026 also assisted in hooding the honorary degree recipients: Aleeza Mughal, a biology major from Bethpage, N.Y., served as the student orator. Monica Orellana Ayala, an architecture major from Lindenhurst, N.Y., sang the national anthem.

Mughal shared, “New York Tech helped us dream. And it gave us the tools to build them. We leave here with more than academic degrees; we leave with purpose. Even when the world feels uncertain, we’re now ready to step forward with what we’ve learned, who we’ve become, and are ready to make a difference.” Mughal also recounted her first visit to New York Tech six years ago when her sister Emaan enrolled and her family relocated from Virginia to New York.

To her classmates, Mughal said, “We are not just graduates of New York Tech. We are builders. Builders of dreams. Builders of communities. And builders of the future we’ve worked so hard to create. Congratulations, Class of 2026! Now let’s go build what’s next!” 

Following the main ceremony, students were recognized individually at in-person graduations for the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering and Computing Sciences, School of Architecture and Design, School of Health Professions, and School of Management.

In addition, NYITCOM held a hooding ceremony for the Class of 2026 from the Long Island campus later in the afternoon; the Class of 2026 at the Jonesboro, Ark., location will be hooded on May 22. Graduation for New York Tech’s Vancouver campus is scheduled for November 25.