When New Jersey City University awarded the final 1,551 undergraduate, graduate and
doctoral degrees during its historic final 2026 Commencement exercises last week at
the Prudential Center, President Andres Acebo told the Class of 2026 to look forward,
not back.
The school, which will merge to become Kean Jersey City on July 1, is approaching its
100th year as symbol of hope in the community.
“For nearly one hundred years, this campus has been holy ground for strivers,” he said.
“Not privileged people. Determined people.”
Acebo offered a charge that gave voice to the moment and the mission ahead.
“You are the bridge between your alma mater’s first century and its second,” he said.
“You are the bridge between memory and possibility. You are the bridge between what
this world is and what it still has time to become.”
Jorge Plasencia, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Republica Havas and Global Chief
Client Officer of the Havas Creative Network received an honorary degree from the
university and delivered the commencement address.
A Miami-born Cuban American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and cultural leader whose
career has spanned global marketing, music, entertainment and sports, Plasencia co-
founded Republica Havas in 2006, which has grown into a leading international creative
and communications agency and in 2026 celebrates its 20th anniversary.
His philanthropic and civic leadership includes co-founding Amigos For Kids at age 17,
now in its 35th year, serving as board chair of the Miami Dade College Foundation, and
as a co-founder of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI), among
many other distinctions.
“Your diploma may carry your name, but your story has many authors,” he said. “I know
that because mine does. Honor them by how you live and now go become an author in
someone else’s story. Work hard. Stay humble. Give back.”
NJCU also presented its Presidential Medallion to Suraj Kaufman, Founder and CEO of
Sneaker Room and founder of the Sneaker Room Foundation, making him the 11th
recipient of the award, which was established in 2014 to honor individuals who have
made outstanding contributions to the university or broader community.
A Jersey City native, Kaufman built Sneaker Room from the ground up into a nationally
recognized brand and channeled that platform into lasting community impact through
the Sneaker Room Foundation, whose work in youth empowerment, education, and
community wellness has served thousands of families across Jersey City and beyond.
Gabriella Martinez of Jersey City, delivered the student address during the ceremony.
A Mathematics Education major and proud product of Jersey City Public Schools,
Martinez is an Honors student, President of Kappa Mu Epsilon, and Lead Teacher
Apprentice in NJCU’s Teacher Apprentice Program, where she was nominated for the
Distinguished Clinical Intern Award. She delivered a moving address rooted in her
commitment to returning to the classroom to give back to the community that shaped
her.
“Jersey City didn’t just raise me. It shaped me,” Martinez said. “People say that this city
is rough, that the kids are rough. Maybe that’s true, but I see it differently. We’re not
rough, we’re tough.”
“Through the Teacher Apprentice Program, NJCU didn’t just prepare me to become a
teacher — it trusted me to become one,” Martinez said. “I want to be a middle school
math teacher so I can be the teacher they were to me. If I can reach just one — that one
student can change everything. Because I am that one student.”
In a moment that gave the day its full weight, the final undergraduate to cross the stage
was Sonya Brown, a non-traditional student and long-time member of NJCU’s
Admissions Department staff since 2010, who earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.
Her journey from serving prospective students in Jersey City to joining them as a
graduate of the institution she helped build spoke quietly and powerfully to the character
of an NJCU education.
It was a moment President Acebo gave voice to in his remarks when he addressed the
Class of 2026 as NJCU’s final graduates.
“And the answer will not simply be that you were the last,” he said. “The answer will be
this: That they entered a fractured world and chose to mend it. That they inherited
cynicism and answered with compassion. That they walked into cruelty and answered
with humanity. That they understood greatness was never about prominence, but about presence. And that when history placed a wounded world into their hands — they did
not drop it. They carried it.”
He closed with a call that will carry forward as NJCU’s story enters its next chapter.
“Gothic Knights, carry it forward and always come back to lift others behind you who
find their first footings on the campus that shaped your story. Because the soul of this
place was never a logo or a signpost. It has always been the people who teach, learn,
labor, and love here. The sacred work endures.”
In total, NJCU conferred 1,191 undergraduate, 340 graduate, and 20 doctoral degrees
during the ceremony. In a testament to the academic strength of the Class of 2026, 339
undergraduate students — nearly one in three — crossed the stage with honors.
The William J. Maxwell College of Arts and Sciences conferred 625 degrees, with
Psychology (146), Computer Science (70), and Biology (65) the largest majors. The
School of Business graduated 368 students, with Management (125), Finance (61), and
Accounting (51) having the largest focus.
The College of Professional Studies celebrated Criminal Justice (83), National Security
Studies (76), and Nursing (56) among its graduates. The Deborah Cannon Partridge
Wolfe College of Education conferred 190 degrees, continuing its enduring mission to
prepare educators for New Jersey’s classrooms.
The ceremony celebrated students receiving their degrees in January 2026, May 2026,
and August 2026.
NJCU also honored its Golden Gothics — representatives of its milestone 50th
anniversary class of 1976 and 25th anniversary class of 2001.
