High Point University Celebrates Class of 2026 with Former Walmart International CEO
HIGH POINT, N.C., May 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — High Point University celebrated the Class of 2026 and honored more than 1,000 undergraduate students who crossed the stage today during two Commencement ceremonies inside the Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena and Conference Center.
HPU President Nido Qubein welcomed graduates and their thousands of friends and family members to the arena for the first Commencement ceremony, which started at 9 a.m. and was followed by a second ceremony at 2:30 p.m. The need for two ceremonies to recognize all of the students who earned their bachelor’s degree this spring reflects HPU’s incredible growth over the past two decades.
HPU will confer more than 1,700 undergraduate and graduate degrees across all ceremonies during the 2025-2026 academic year. This is the most degrees that the university has conferred in one academic year in its 102-year history.
“Graduates, I spoke to you on Convocation Day. You’ve traveled a journey, and here you are four years later to receive your undergraduate degree,” Qubein said. “We’re very proud of your accomplishments, and we salute you this day as the future ambassadors of this university.”
Former Walmart International CEO Shares Message with Graduates
Qubein introduced this year’s Commencement speaker, Kathryn McLay, whose last official day as president and CEO of Walmart International and Sam’s Club was on May 1. Named Walmart International’s CEO in 2023, she led a team that includes more than 500,000 associates, who serve 80 million customers in 18 countries every week. She announced her decision to step down from her position at Walmart earlier this year.
Before her speech, Qubein presented McLay with an Honorary Doctorate of Business Leadership.
McLay told the new graduates about her struggles at age 16 with presenting a public speech and her early goals for what she wanted to accomplish in her career.
“It’s been an amazing ride, far better than the little plans that I had,” McLay said. “I could not have strategized my way into the life that I have lived. All I could control was effort and attitude. Although I started with little plans, I have been blessed to have lived a big life. So given the occasion, it seems appropriate to share a few observations from along the way. I came up with five reflections from my five decades on this planet.”
- It’s not about you.
- It’s the little decisions that build character.
- Success is underrated. Failure is a way to learn.
- Laugh boldly and from your belly. It’s a great equalizer.
- Be an ordinary person who gets to do extraordinary things.
McLay told the audience that people kept asking her how she was feeling as her tenure as Walmart International’s CEO was coming to an end. She said she understood why they were asking her this question. Change, after all, is hard.
“You can’t have new beginnings without endings, and all endings are a little difficult,” McLay said. “You are here today eager for what’s next, but also melancholy about what you’re leaving behind because graduation is an ending, too — a big one.”
Senior Class of 2026 President Speaks
Casey Williams, HPU’s senior class president, told his classmates — which included his twin brother Cortney — that they had already proven they knew how to overcome challenges by being on stage to receive their diplomas.
“The road ahead will not always be clear. There will be moments that test everything you think you know about yourself,” said Williams, who is from Laurel, Maryland. “And when that happens, remember this: The struggle is not a sign that you chose wrong. It is a sign that you chose something that matters. Here’s what we can’t lose sight of: We didn’t get here alone. We stand on the shoulders of people who prayed for the hope of us — family members who sacrificed, mentors who believed and generations who built a foundation so that we could build something greater than what we inherited. Now the future is watching us. It is waiting on us. So, I leave you with one charge: Live so that one day, the generation that inherits this world will say, ‘They understood the assignment.’”
Kal Burgess-Hicks, who graduated today at age 15 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and aspires to be a neurosurgeon, is believed to be the youngest student to ever graduate from HPU.
On April 30, approximately 300 graduate students crossed the stage during the Graduate Commencement Ceremony, which included doctoral and master’s degrees in education, medical sciences and pharmacy.
Separate ceremonies are held throughout the year for other programs, such as physical therapy and physician assistant studies, as well as a December Commencement.
This week’s ceremonies are another milestone for a banner year for HPU. After celebrating its Centennial Anniversary during the 2024-2025 academic year, HPU welcomed its largest total enrollment of 6,550 students this past fall.
HPU also opened new buildings on campus for the Kenneth F. Kahn School of Law and the Workman School of Dental Medicine, as well as broke ground on the new $100 million John and Lorraine Charman Library. The library will serve as the university’s flagship library when it opens in 2027.
HPU Commencement Traditions
In keeping with tradition at HPU’s graduation ceremony, a bald eagle named Clark soared over the graduates at the end of the ceremony to symbolize the ideals of free enterprise, independence and the ability to pursue new opportunities in America. The eagle flew as Lee Greenwood, international country music icon and HPU’s Artist in Residence, performed “God Bless the USA.”
Every graduate also received an HPU blanket after the ceremony to give to someone special in their lives who cared enough about them to sacrifice in support of that graduate’s higher education.
Members of HPU’s Class of 1976 were also in attendance as they celebrated the 50th anniversary of their graduation from what was then known as High Point College.
Attachments
Alex Abrams High Point University 3369517926 aabrams1@highpoint.edu
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