NSC Celebrates Resilience, Achievement at Commencement
North Seattle College honored the Class of 2026 during the Seattle Colleges commencement ceremony on June 18 at Alaska Airlines Arena on the University of Washington campus. Some 1,175 graduates completed their programs and earned a degree or certificate during a time marked by significant challenges, including state budget constraints and federal changes affecting community college students.
In her remarks, North Seattle College President Dr. Rachel Solemsaas acknowledged the complexity of students’ journeys.
“Your journey here has not been simple or predictable,” she said. “You have navigated your education during a time of rapid change, economic pressures, evolving technologies, shifting workforce demands, and global challenges that tested all of us. And yet, here you are.”
Dr. Solemsaas emphasized that the graduates represent more than academic achievement.
“You are problem-solvers, adapters, and leaders,” she said. “You have learned how to keep going when the path changes, how to ask for help, and how to support others along the way. Those are not small things. Those are the skills the world needs right now. And you are ready.”
In a video-recorded message, NSC graduate speaker Keenen Allen Ladd, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, reflected on the personal journeys behind each graduate’s success.
“I come to you as a father, an educator, a mentor, and a student who didn’t take a traditional path to get here,” he said. “I come from community. From people who poured into me, believed in me, and challenged me to become more. My family, my friends, my village — they are the foundation of everything I stand on.”
As one of three Seattle Colleges, North Seattle College shares a common commencement ceremony with Seattle Central College and South Seattle College. Together, 3,290 students graduated this year. Of those, 1,503 (46%) are first-generation college students, and 2,089 (63%) identify as students of color. Approximately 36% indicated plans to transfer to a university to continue their education.
North Seattle College conferred a total of 1,424 awards this year, including 378 academic transfer degrees that prepare students to continue toward bachelor’s degrees at four-year institutions. The college also awarded 213 career training associate degrees and certificates designed for immediate workforce entry, 600 short-term certificates that support skill development and career advancement, 177 bachelor’s degrees that expand career opportunities and earning potential, and 56 basic and transitional degrees that support college and career readiness.