An estimated 7,000 University of Florida graduates celebrated Friday night during UF’s University-Wide Commencement Ceremony, turning their tassels inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
The event was part of a series of spring 2026 ceremonies that started on Wednesday and will continue through Monday. In addition to the university-wide ceremony, there is a Doctoral Commencement Ceremony, which was held on Thursday, along with College Recognition and Degree-Specific ceremonies.
Interim UF President Donald Landry presided over Friday’s ceremony, where bachelor’s, master’s and specialist’s degrees were conferred upon graduates from all UF’s colleges, except for the Levin College of Law and College of Dentistry.
According to UF’s commencement website, commencements for the Levin College of Law and College of Dentistry are held later in the spring.
While giving remarks, Landry said a total of 11,607 students are expected to graduate from UF during the spring commencement ceremonies, adding that these students come from 49 states and 105 countries.
The youngest graduate in the spring Class of 2026 is 18 years old and is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in psychology, according to a UF press release. The oldest graduate is 75 years old and is receiving a Master of Science in medical sciences.
“As a father of two grown children, I know how important this day is for graduates and for families,” Landry said. “Congratulations, and many thanks to the family members and friends present today.”
Chris Malachowsky, a UF alumnus and the namesake for Malachowsky Hall, served as Friday’s commencement speaker.
Malachowsky cofounded NVIDIA, a technology company established in 1993 that pioneered the creation of graphics processing units, is on the forefront of the AI surge and has recently closed at record highs on the stock market.
In 2020, Malachowsky donated UF’s first AI supercomputer, setting the university on a path to lead high education in implementing AI across its curriculum.
Malachowsky spoke to the graduates about his journey from UF to helping start NVIDIA and the lessons that were learned early on. He also touched on AI and his efforts to promote UF as a national model for what higher education institutions should do in every state.
“UF didn’t sit back and wait for the AI era to arrive,” he said. “UF leaned in. That matters. And it should matter to you. It means that as graduates, you’re not entering this new era as bystanders. You’re entering it with a real head start and with a chance to lead.”
Malachowsky encouraged the graduates to “go forward with confidence, gratitude and curiosity.”
“Go forward to build, to learn and to contribute,” he said. “Above all, get going and go forward with care.”
As the ceremony wrapped up, graduates and attendees in the stands were invited to stand for the singing of the alma mater. This was followed by the traditional singing of Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down,” where students and guests lit up the stadium with their cellphone lights.
Once the ceremony ended, many graduates crisscrossed the field to take photos and find family or friends in the stands.
Graduate Caleb Owens had already made his way outside of the stadium and was taking photos in his black cap and gown with some family members and a friend. Owens majored in English at UF. He earned his bachelor’s degree with a minor in computer science.
Owens said it was a “relief” to be finished.
“It’s been a bit of rocky road to get here, but I’m just glad that we got there in the end,” he said.
As for what’s next, Owens said he plans to stay in Gainesville until his lease runs out. He added that he’ll be searching for work after that, specifically a job in computer science.
“I want to do software development,” Owens said. “That was the goal when I came in here. [I] ended up in English. But you know, life takes you weird places.”
Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.
