With the Turn of a Tassel, Milton Hershey School Celebrates the Class of 2026
The weather brought the heat, but what it couldn’t predict was the swell of anticipation and celebration that filled GIANT Center on Sunday, June 14, for the 92nd Milton Hershey School Commencement Ceremony.
Reminders of the school year theme, Our Pledge, were woven throughout the event, visible not only in the staging and speeches, but in the ways the 219 members of the Class of 2026 reached this milestone. As they crossed the platform, now proud graduates stepping into their futures, they were surrounded by families, friends, and mentors who supported them every step of the way. This marked an emotionally beautiful close to one chapter and the beginning of the next.
“219 lives changed forever,” President Pete Gurt ’85 said. “Your names will now be added to the more than 12,000 who have gone before you, who have also committed to the standards of Our Pledge.”
Hours before they received their diplomas, the Class of 2026, including 32 lifers, started their morning at Founders Hall, where they dressed in their caps and gowns. In that iconic space, they shared special moments, not only as students for the final time, but as heirs to something far greater than themselves.
A series of MHS school buses welcomed them aboard as they joined a processional involving community first responders to GIANT Center. The special escort signaled to the entire town of Hershey, Pennsylvania, that the day had finally arrived for the next generation of MHS alumni to be honored.
During the 2025-26 school year, the MHS community was invited to take part in the 100 Years, 1,000 Voices Challenge, encouraging individuals and groups to share what the School Pledge meant to them. What began as a call for 1,000 voices grew into a viral moment. At Commencement, it was revealed that 3,213 voices had been shared, far surpassing both the original goal and the expanded 2,026-voice milestone set in honor of the Class of 2026. This unveiling was an extraordinary display of unity and voices, amplified through compelling visuals that captured what this community is capable of.
“As we’ve seen throughout this year, something powerful happens when the MHS family comes together around a shared purpose,” Maame Asante, Most Nearly Ideal Senior for the Class of 2026, said. “We created something that will stand as a lasting tribute to the impact of Our Pledge and the people who live it every day.”
Student speaker Layla Wright reflected on a childhood shaped by hardship, instability, and loss, and the ways those experiences forced her to grow up quickly and rely on her own strength. Through music, relationships, and the support she found at MHS, she began to transform that pain into purpose and rediscover her sense of identity and belonging.
“Survival is not the end of the story, but the beginning of who we choose to become,” Wright said.
MHS Alumna of the Year Maria Trinh Kraus ’89 offered the Class of 2026 a new perspective on the inheritance they received from our founders, Milton and Catherine Hershey. Her challenge emphasized that the true impact of their education will be measured in the ways they choose to make a difference in others.
“The inheritance they left behind was never money,” Kraus said. “It was possibility. That is why this inheritance is unlike any other. Most inheritances get smaller over time. This one grows.”
In her moving address, student speaker Princess Tommy reflected on her life before and during MHS, using the steady ticking of a clock to describe the invisible weight she endured during some of the hardest moments of her life. Yet, as time continued to move forward, she encouraged the audience that their journeys do too, inviting each graduate to step into whatever comes next with expectation.
“Today is not the end of an era,” Tommy said. “It is the coming of a renaissance. The clock is still ticking, not as a countdown but as a reminder that our time is precious, purposeful, and powerful.”
As the graduates turned their tassels, it marked a promise that the values of Our Pledge would continue far beyond the GIANT Center stage. Instead, they would carry them forward as part of the enduring legacy of our founders, embracing the responsibility to live those values out. In the choices they make, the lives they touch, and the ways they strive to create change, those principles will continue to lead their stories—now and for years to come.
During the Senior Awards Ceremony, the Class of 2026 was recognized for the many ways they distinguished themselves throughout their time at MHS; celebrated for their dedication, growth, and achievements across academics, leadership, service, and creative pursuits. The awards spanned a wide range of disciplines, including Career and Technical Education, Visual and Performing Arts, and more, highlighting the depth of talent within the class and honoring the lasting impact these students have made across the school community and beyond.
Read the Full List of Award Winners Explore More from Commencement Week
