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Palo Alto University Celebrates the Class of 2026 at 47th Commencement Ceremony
PAL
SARATOGA, Calif. | June 13, 2026 — Before an audience of family members, friends, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters, Palo Alto University celebrated over 380 graduates during its 47th Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, California. The ceremony marked the culmination of years of study, clinical training, research, and personal growth for graduates preparing to advance mental health, behavioral science, education, and human well-being in communities around the world.
As Palo Alto University celebrates its 50th anniversary year, Commencement served as both a recognition of academic achievement and a reflection on the role graduates will play in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world. Throughout the morning, speakers emphasized a shared message: while technology and society continue to evolve, the need for empathy, connection, and human understanding remains constant.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Christie Chung welcomed graduates and guests and recognized the faculty, staff, Board of Trustees, and university leaders whose dedication helps shape the student experience.
In his commencement address, President Farouk Dey reflected on the significance of the moment and the responsibility graduates carry forward as future clinicians, educators, researchers, and leaders. "Behavioral science has never been more urgent," Dey told graduates. "The people you will serve, in clinics, classrooms, communities, and workplaces reshaped by technology, will need not only your skills, but your humanity."
Representing the Class of 2026, student commencement speaker Shirin Aghakhani reflected on her eight-year journey at Palo Alto University, from undergraduate student to doctoral graduate. Her remarks celebrated the resilience, perseverance, and growth shared by graduates across disciplines and highlighted the importance of understanding the experiences and perspectives of others. Through her reflections, Aghakhani reminded graduates that meaningful change often begins with curiosity, compassion, and a willingness to see the world through another person's lens.
The ceremony's keynote address was delivered by PAU alumnus Dr. Jonah Paquette, a clinical psychologist, author, speaker, and graduate of the PAU-Stanford PsyD Consortium. Drawing on both personal experience and research on well-being, Paquette encouraged graduates to embrace uncertainty, remain open to wonder, and prioritize meaningful human connection throughout their lives and careers. Speaking to a generation entering a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and rapid technological change, he reminded graduates that some of life's most meaningful experiences cannot be optimized or automated. Instead, he challenged them to pursue lives rich in curiosity, growth, purpose, and connection.
The formal conferral of degrees followed as graduates from bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs crossed the stage to receive recognition for years of dedication and achievement. Doctoral candidates were hooded by faculty mentors, symbolizing their transition into the next phase of professional practice, scholarship, and leadership. In addition to earning their degrees, members of the Class of 2026 became the newest members of Palo Alto University's alumni community, joining a network of more than 4,500 alumni who are advancing mental health, behavioral science, education, research, and human well-being across the country and around the world.
Some of the most memorable moments of the morning centered not on individual accomplishments, but on gratitude. Throughout the ceremony, speakers recognized the parents, partners, children, friends, mentors, faculty members, supervisors, and supporters whose encouragement and sacrifices helped make each graduate's achievement possible.
As the ceremony concluded, graduates left not only with degrees, but with a shared commitment to advancing human dignity and understanding in the communities they serve. Whether working in healthcare, education, research, public service, or private practice, the Class of 2026 now joins generations of PAU alumni dedicated to improving lives through compassion, science, and service.
In a world often defined by complexity and change, the University's newest graduates leave prepared to help others navigate both with humanity at the center of their work.
