Downstate Marks Historic Commencement; Class of 2026 Begins Its Journey of Service and Leadership
By Office of the President | May 19, 2026
As I looked across the Amphitheater at Coney Island during Downstate’s 2026 Commencement ceremony, I reflected on how meaningful this moment was for our university community. This year marked the first time in Downstate’s history that graduates from all five schools and colleges came together for a single university-wide commencement ceremony. It felt less like five separate academic units celebrating individual accomplishments and more like one community recognizing a shared purpose.
I was excited to shake hands and congratulate each of the more than 500 graduates who crossed the stage representing the College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Public Health, and School of Graduate Studies. They reflected that healthcare increasingly requires collaboration, respect across disciplines, and a commitment to serving patients and communities as a team.
What stayed with me throughout the ceremony was the sense of gratitude in the air. Families cheered proudly. Faculty members looked on with admiration. Graduates embraced one another, knowing how much they had sacrificed for this special moment. Many balanced rigorous academic programs with work, caregiving responsibilities, financial challenges, long commutes, personal loss, and the emotional demands of healthcare training during complex times.
In my remarks, I reminded graduates that the world they are entering needs more than technical expertise. It needs compassion, integrity, humility, and leadership.
“You now enter a world that needs your talent, your compassion, your integrity, and your leadership more than ever before,” I told the Class of 2026. “Your Downstate education has prepared you not simply to succeed, but to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.”
I also reflected on why bringing all five academic units together for one university-wide commencement ceremony mattered so much, noting that “today’s ceremony reflects the world our graduates are entering, a world in which collaboration across professions is not optional, but essential.”
That message resonated throughout the afternoon because it reflected exactly what Downstate represents. Our students do not train in isolation. They learn in one of the nation’s most complex urban healthcare environments, caring for diverse patient populations while working alongside professionals from multiple disciplines. That experience shapes not only their clinical and academic skills, but also their understanding of humanity, teamwork, and service.
One of the most memorable moments of the ceremony came from student speaker Tobi Somorin, M.D., MPH., a graduate of the College of Medicine and the School of Public Health. His remarks were thoughtful, honest, and deeply personal. Rather than pretending that success eliminates fear or self-doubt, he spoke openly about resilience and reminded graduates to remember all they had already overcome.
“When you face the hard questions of ‘Can I do this?’ look back and tell yourself, ‘I did it before, and I am going to do it again,’” Dr. Somorin said.
As he spoke, many graduates nodded in agreement, his words reflecting a truth shared by many in the audience. Every graduate had a story behind their cap and gown. Every degree represented perseverance.
The ceremony also provided an opportunity to recognize two distinguished Brooklyn leaders with the 2026 Ailanthus Award: Joan G. Bartolomeo and Reverend Monsignor Alfred P. LoPinto. Named after the resilient tree made famous in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, the award honors individuals whose leadership, service, and vision have strengthened communities, expanded opportunity, and improved the lives of others across Brooklyn and beyond. Both honorees reflect the spirit of perseverance, compassion, and community investment that defines the borough itself.
Ms. Bartolomeo was recognized for her leadership in economic and community development and for helping advance Brooklyn’s growing life sciences and biotechnology sectors. Reverend Monsignor LoPinto, President and CEO of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, was honored for his longstanding commitment to supporting vulnerable communities through housing, food assistance, immigration services, and other critical social programs throughout Brooklyn and Queens.
As our graduates stood together to take their professional oaths, I was reminded that the ceremony had become something larger than a traditional commencement. It reflected the shared responsibility that comes with careers in healthcare, science, research, and public service—fields that are ultimately about people caring for people. The physicians, nurses, scientists, therapists, public health professionals, and healthcare leaders leaving Downstate now carry that responsibility into communities across Brooklyn, New York City, and beyond.
In my closing remarks, I reminded graduates not to be discouraged by the challenges they will encounter ahead.
“Do not be overwhelmed by the many problems facing our nation and the world, for within the challenges lie many opportunities,” I said. “Challenges often create the greatest opportunities for leadership, innovation, discovery, compassion, and service.”
And as the ceremony came to a close, I shared one final reminder with the Class of 2026:
“You are forever part of the Downstate family.”
Tags: Awards, Commencement, Ceremony
