Commencement

“You arrived here carrying expectations, anxieties, ambitions, and questions,” President Michael E. Hill remarked in his charge to the graduates. “You leave carrying something far more valuable: a tested character, a sharpened mind, and a clearer sense of who you are called to be and what you might accomplish in the world beyond the Center of the Universe.”

Commencement Speaker

Kwame Alexander, a poet, New York Times bestselling author of 45 books, and Emmy Award-winning television producer, shared stories from his artistic journey in the form of four life lessons for the graduates.

First, with the tale of a breakthrough job offer after a chance encounter and conversation with a stranger, was a call to be curious. “Your life is not a GPS, it is a compass,” he remarked.

The second point was to “say yes,” taking advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. “Go dream, go set a goal, go make a plan, go make sacrifices for the plan, go be sad when the plan is taking too long to come into fruition,” Alexander said. “Go be frustrated when a door closes, go be hopeful when it’s too hard. Go be surprised when another door opens. Go be ready. Go walk right through it. Go be unafraid to say yes.”

His third piece of wisdom emphasized the importance of a quality support system. “Make sure that those around you help keep the flame of your aim and your aspiration lit, not try to extinguish it,” he said. “Community is everything—people who are going to support your purpose and your progress.”

Finally, Alexander extolled the value of gratitude, especially in moments of hardship. “Because there’s no recovery without the fumble, and there’s definitely no getting up without a stumble,” Alexander said in appropriately poetic fashion before concluding: “Congratulations, the next stanza is yours.”

Alexander’s children’s book The Undefeated, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, was nominated for the National Book Award and won the Newbery Honor and Caldecott Medal. His other books include Becoming Muhammad Ali (co-authored with James Patterson), Why Fathers Cry at Night, and Black Star.

Alexander is the executive producer, showrunner, and writer of the Emmy Award-winning Disney+ series The Crossover, based on his Newbery Medal-winning novel of the same name. The series was produced in partnership with LeBron James’ Springhill Company and Big Sea Entertainment, Alexander’s production company. Big Sea is dedicated to creating innovative, original children’s and family entertainment, like the Emmy-nominated PBS KIDS special Acoustic Rooster: Jazzy Jams, also based on one of his beloved children’s books. The company is also producing America’s Next Great Author, a groundbreaking reality TV series for writers.

Alexander also paid homage to his own ties to the local community, recognizing his great aunt Hattie Glyn Hughes Alexander was the first Black teacher at the newly desegregated Patrick Henry High School in Hanover County following the landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.

Honorary Degrees

During Commencement, RMC conferred honorary Doctor of Humanities degrees to three eminent friends of the College, including Commencement speaker Kwame Alexander.

Jane Parke Batten

Jane Parke Batten is a nationally respected philanthropist and civic leader whose lifetime of service has advanced education, environmental stewardship, and community well-being. Raised in Norfolk, Virginia, she and her late husband, Frank Batten—an influential media entrepreneur and civic leader—shared a deep belief in community responsibility, service, and stewardship.

Batten has devoted decades to nonprofit governance and institutional leadership, serving on numerous boards and foundations that strengthen communities across Coastal Virginia. Her service has included leadership roles with Virginia Wesleyan University, the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, United Way of Hampton Roads, YMCA of South Hampton Roads, and the Slover Library Foundation. She is also a co-founder of E3: Elevate Early Education, reflecting her belief that opportunity and learning must begin early and be accessible to all.

Barclay DuPriest

Barclay DuPriest has served as Randolph-Macon’s campus store manager for more than 40 years, and will retire from her full-time role in 2026. DuPriest is also widely admired as a pillar of school spirit and the embodiment of Randolph-Macon’s ethos of campus connection.

DuPriest earned her bachelor’s degree from what was then Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, Va., then taught elementary school for eight years at nearby Hanover Academy before taking charge of the campus store in June 1985. In that time, through shrewd merchandising, she transformed what was primarily a bookstore into a fully stocked campus store that serves as a destination for customers. Her impact on the RMC community, far beyond her official duties, is immeasurable. DuPriest is well known for a contagious laugh, her uncanny ability to remember names and faces, and a deep concern for the well-being of all Yellow Jackets. Her selfless compassion and legendary support, in ways both small and large, has fostered connections across generations of alumni, many of whom keep in touch well after graduation.

Class of 2026 Senior Speaker

Sydney Waldrop graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Exceptional Education with a minor in Secondary Education. Waldrop, from Studley, Va., is an inducted member of several leadership and academic honor societies. She served as a New Student Transition Captain, a Student Assistant for the Education Department, and a member of the Student Virginia Education Association, while competing as a dedicated member of RMC’s Equestrian team. Waldrop was named to the Dean’s List every semester of her college career and was recognized with the 2026 Virginia Scholars Award from the Delta Kappa Gamma International Society. Waldrop starts her first full-time teaching position this fall as a Social Studies Teacher at Oak Knoll Middle School in Hanover County.

Waldrop commended her classmates for the resilience they showed throughout their collegiate careers, saying “growth doesn’t come from everything going perfectly. It comes from learning, adjusting, and trying again.”

“Not every path here has been smooth or straightforward. For many of us, there were moments where things didn’t go as planned, where we faced setbacks, self-doubt, or challenges that felt bigger than we expected. But what defines us isn’t that those moments happened. It’s that we showed up anyway. We adapted. We kept moving forward.”

The Bruce M. Unger Award for Retiring Faculty

Dr. Bruce M. Unger was a Political Science professor at Randolph-Macon College for 40 years. Unger planned to retire in 2008 but lost his courageous fight against cancer before his retirement was official.

The Bruce M. Unger Award was established to recognize the contributions of retiring faculty with more than 10 years of service to the College. At the 2026 Commencement, RMC recognized four talented and dedicated faculty members who retired at the end of the 2025-2026 academic year and represent a combined 115 years of service at the College.

• Dr. Tom Badey, Professor of Political Science
• Dr. Chas. Gowan, Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies
• Dr. Tom Peyser, Professor of English
• Dr. Ed Showalter ’84, Professor of Business

Read more about the contributions of this year’s Bruce M. Unger Award recipients, as well as the College’s distinguished staff retirees.

archived commencement live stream