338 degrees were awarded to Louisiana Tech graduates of the Class of Winter 2026 during Saturday’s commencement ceremony in the Thomas Assembly Center. The global total of University alumni now stands at nearly 118,000.
Dr. Stephanie Murphy, Vice President of Culture and Experience at UnitedHealth Group and a doctoral graduate of Louisiana Tech, served as keynote speaker for the ceremony.
In her speech, she placed a heavy emphasis on having a support system in her life — family, friends, professors, mentors and colleagues — that gave her the means to achieve success. She noted that life circumstances like having a son during her undergraduate years at the University of New Orleans often stacked the deck of her journey against her, but perseverance and leaning on that support system helped her find her way. She gave a special nod to Professor Emerita Dr. Mitzi Desselles, her dissertation chair during her time at Louisiana Tech, and thanked her for her unwavering belief and the push to be her best self.
She went on to tell the graduates to hold fast to their own support systems and to the knowledge and confidence that Louisiana Tech has provided them.
“Sometimes you have to trust your gut before anyone else understands the plan,” Murphy said. “You have to take the leap before the path is obvious. At this pivotal point in your lives and careers, I encourage you to do the same. And surround yourself with people who believe in you — sometimes even more than you believe in yourself — so that, when doubt creeps in, they can remind you who you are.”
A couple notable graduates included Jakari Foster, Louisiana Tech Football’s first AP All-American player since 2012, and De’Ahmya Whaley, the recently-crowned Miss Louisiana Tech University. Eight doctoral degrees were also conferred during the ceremony.
The commencement setup in the Thomas Assembly Center that was arranged on Friday — hundreds of chairs, the stage, the floor tiles, and the decorations — was quickly dismantled after the ceremony to ready the court for the evening’s Lady Techsters basketball game, an overtime win in the final home contest of the season for a team celebrating its first outright regular season conference championship in 15 years.