SOUTH PORTLAND — Southern Maine Community College celebrated its 79th commencement on Sunday, May 17, honoring the achievements of hundreds of graduates as they gathered with family, friends, faculty and staff.
The ceremony was held at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland. A total of 1,208 students received 1,275 degrees and certificates for the academic year, marking one of the largest graduating classes in SMCC history. The Class of 2026 represented one of SMCC’s most determined graduating classes, shaped by uncertainty, change and real-world challenges.
“SMCC’s Class of 2026 has shown remarkable determination, adaptability and heart,” SMCC President Kristen Miller said. “Many of these graduates began their college journeys during a time of uncertainty and disruption, and they carried those experiences with them as they worked toward this moment. Their success reflects not only their resilience, but also their belief in themselves, their commitment to their goals and the strength of the SMCC community that supported them along the way. We are incredibly proud to celebrate their achievements and excited to see the impact they will make in Maine and beyond.”
Maine Community College System President David Daigler also recognized the Class of 2026 and the important role community played in helping graduates reach commencement.
“Like me, it was community that brought you to this point — to graduation,” Daigler said. “They are people who believed in you, who encouraged you, who supported you.”
Daigler encouraged graduates to continue building community wherever they go next.
“Go forward, graduates. Engage fully in the world and your communities,” Daigler said. “Be present and share your hard-won knowledge and insight. In short, plant more than you reap. This is the graduation gift that you can give to the world.”
One graduate whose path reflected SMCC’s ability to serve students at every stage of life was Hans Brandes.
Brandes, 67, graduated from SMCC’s culinary arts program after building a career far from the kitchen. A retired General Dynamics Bath Iron Works employee, Brandes spent 33 years at BIW before retiring in 2018 and later deciding he wanted a new challenge rooted in a longtime love of cooking, baking and service. He enrolled at SMCC in fall 2022 after encouragement from his son, a restaurant owner near Boulder, Colorado, and quickly found his place as a non-traditional student.
Brandes said SMCC faculty and staff made that transition possible, from helping him navigate Brightspace for the first time to supporting him through registration and program requirements. “I think that was a huge piece, and I think that was a very pleasant surprise,” Brandes said of the role staff and faculty played in his experience. “You walk in, you don’t know anybody.” Brandes said faculty treated him like any other student while also bringing different strengths, personalities and teaching styles to the program. “I give credit to our staff over there,” he said. “They all have their enthusiasm in their own way.”
Brandes plans to use his culinary education not by opening a restaurant or working full time in the industry, but by continuing to serve others through food. He said the degree will allow him to support events, step in during busy periods and help others with culinary projects in ways that fit this stage of his life. His work will also continue in Peru, where he has volunteered for about 15 years with an organization that supports young people who have faced unsafe or unstable situations. Brandes said the kitchen there has become a powerful place of connection, and he plans to bring what he learned at SMCC back to Peru by teaching young people how to make foods they may not normally have. “When you’re doing something together, it gives you the opportunity to chat,” he said. “When you can chat with kids who really were abused, neglected, and had to leave unsafe situations, they start believing that somebody cares about them.”
The ceremony also featured remarks from SMCC’s Student of the Year Kamy Dube, president of the Student Senate, who reflected on belonging, connection and the importance of taking a chance on yourself.
“If you have ever felt that way, I see you, and I want you to know this: you matter, you belong here, and there is no right or wrong way to do college because it is your own unique journey,” Dube said.
Dube told graduates that building belonging often begins with small actions and a willingness to step into unfamiliar spaces.
“Belonging happens when we step into spaces that feel unfamiliar,” Dube said. “When we take a chance and show up for ourselves and those around us. Allow my story to be proof of that.”
She closed by reminding graduates that uncertainty can also create opportunity.
“What if we all end up exactly where we need to be?” Dube said. “At some point, we realize that no one stays invisible forever, and that new experiences don’t always just happen; we have to be willing to go after them.”
SMCC graduates left the College prepared to continue their education, enter the workforce and strengthen communities locally and regionally. Many graduates will transfer to the University of Southern Maine, the University of Maine, the University of New England, St. Joseph’s College and other institutions in Maine, as well as public and private institutions throughout New England and beyond, including Bentley, Mount Holyoke, Smith and more. Others will enter the workforce across vital industries, joining hospitals, law enforcement agencies, manufacturing companies and creative agencies throughout the state and beyond.
The Maine Free College Scholarship program continued to provide tuition-free access to community college for recent high school graduates, helping remove financial barriers and opening doors for students who may not have otherwise considered higher education. The program has also strengthened Maine’s workforce by providing more students with a direct, affordable pathway to a degree or certificate.
SMCC’s graduates hailed from across Maine, the United States and the world. Members of the Class of 2026 came from all 16 counties in Maine. They also came from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as states across the country, including California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
The graduating class was also globally diverse, with students from 39 countries outside the United States: Angola, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Burundi, Canada, China, Colombia, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Guatemala, Haiti, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, United Kingdom and Vietnam.
The Class of 2026 was distinguished by its academic excellence. The average grade point average among graduates was 3.24. Forty-seven graduates earned a perfect 4.0 GPA, while 46 students achieved a GPA of 3.95 or higher. The average age of this year’s graduates was 26, with the youngest graduate 18 and the oldest 67. Additionally, 78 graduates had previously earned a bachelor’s degree and 12 had earned a master’s degree. Twelve percent of the graduates — 146 students — earned membership in the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society in recognition of their outstanding academic achievement.
This year’s distinguished commencement speaker was Monica Wood, an award-winning novelist, memoirist and playwright. Wood’s bestselling novel, “How to Read a Book,” received the New England Society in the City of New York Book Award for fiction, and her work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, Oprah, Literary Hub and Down East. A native of Mexico, Maine, Wood lives in Portland with her husband, Dan Abbott, a longtime SMCC professor and program chair.
If you were unable to attend, you can watch the replay on SMCC’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/smccme. A photo gallery is available at https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCU4m1.
