FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. —Graduates from 19 colleges and universities received their diplomas Aug. 7, 2026, at Lincoln Hall Auditorium, as Fort Leonard Wood’s Truman Army Education Center hosted its 41st Combined College and University Graduation Ceremony. During his opening remarks, Maj. Gen. Christopher Beck, Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood commanding general, expressed gratitude to the families and friends who gathered to celebrate their graduates' achievements. “There is no one here sitting in front of you with a cap and gown today that remotely believes they could be where they are without your support. The families and friends hold the fort down and they give encouragement to keep them moving forward,” Beck said. Of the more than 100 graduates, Beck noted the unique presence of multiple family members earning their degrees together. “We have a special group here today. We have over five different couples, or mothers and daughters, that are graduating together, that is amazing. It is hard enough to have one person to do this but for two of you to do it and keep encouraging each other, congratulations and well done,” Beck said. He highlighted the numerous challenges graduates likely overcame along the way, including unpredictable schedules, deployments, daily duties and military relocations. “The resilience, the drive and the personal courage that you all have shown to get here today is significant,” Beck said. Student guest speaker, Ryan Marshall, a Truman Army Education Center education services specialist, said education isn’t simply about getting a degree — it is about possibilities. “It can open the door to a new career, a promotion, another degree or an opportunity you haven’t even imagined yet. But none of us reach that moment alone — I thank all the families and friends for all the support,” Marshall said. Earning a college degree is not merely an academic milestone, but a monumental personal triumph, he added. “Celebrate today, take those pictures, hug your family, frame that diploma. We work too hard for this to end up in a drawer,” Marshall said. “And tomorrow, ask yourself a simple question — what’s next?” More photos from the commencement ceremony are available to view and download in thishttps://flic.kr/s/aHBqjD1ZKJ.
Below is a list of this year’s graduates— listed by school:
Columbia College
Ryan Marshall, Bailey Bourque, Shane Bunch, Adai Manning, Katelyne Parker, Hector Salazar, Joe Baca, Felix Colores, Justin Davis, Cliniyah Mann
Drury Global Online
Vanessa Casiano, Paul Mpande, Deanna Alexis, Faith Allen, Celso Alverado, John Baze, Nicole Bizich, Andrea Cote, Olasupo Fadahunsi, Dunahtaye Dunah, Zoë Giminez, Michael Grant, Shelbey Haynes, Amanda Jones, Garsan Lettman, James Muncy, Amber Nathan, Shanna Richardson-Enodiana, Timothy Rideout, Mary Shelton, Foster Trader, Jaxon Warren, John Wright, Austin Alverth, Tera Ashmore, Christopher Casillas, Chelledon Chenault, Justin Clark, Sunshine De La Garza, Mia House, Dylan Jacobs-Cooper, Taz Jacobs-Cooper, Bryan Merchant, Oscar Montijo, Shauna Sanchez, Salia Sonie, Isabella Warren, Jonathan Weaver
Grand Canyon University
Corey Gober
Lincoln University Missouri
Kelley Amjed, Julie Burns, Dylan Cervantes, Maria Delgado, Sydney Graves, Abigail Guevara, Kelly Hilderbrand, Ashley Kermoade, Darryl McMullen, Natalee Montenegro, Janelle Moore, Cecilia Opper, Leah Parks, Brandon Pino, Kristen Queen, Charlotte Stewart, Dalton Tanner, Michael Washington, Maison Bramel, Genevieve Doyle, Amy Humphrey, Stephen Ilodibe, Jessica McBribe, Heidi Newsome, Krystal Rester, James Scott, Rachael Waters, Koung Won Choi
Ozarks Technical Community College
Alex Allen, Syn Britt, Kaylee Campbell, Maria Cichocki, Hailey Conaway, Reginald Cole, Kaili Craig, Katherine Dorritie, Weslee Dye, Bethany Earls, Hannah Eckman, Kaylee Factor, Gabby Flores, Jaiden Golden, Erika Harper, Christina Heighton, Connor Johnson, Elisabeth Helmuth, Bella Kunzmann, Isabel Lopez, Justin Ludwikowski, Sheridan Maddox, AJ Manalo, Harmony Parker, Dustin Robertson, Alexis Shelton, Jozilyn Sherrell, Donique Smith, Ambria Smith, Logan Smith, Caleb Smith, Mackenzie Spangler, Maci Sparks, Aiden Stearns, Angel Villanueva, Rachael Wallace, Ethan Williams, Justin Word, Amanda Wright, Stephanie Young, Ashley Keith, Dakota Knoske, Adrianna Pickett
American Military University
Brian Burns, Kayla Burns, Narine Henriques, Christian Jackson, Gabriel Lopez, MinhTran Nguyen, Matthew Jenkins, Xavier Edwards
Austin Peay University
Christoper Thornton Jr.
Colorado Technical University
Nevaeh Streit
Columbia Southern University
QuinMeka Shaw
Hagerstown Community College
Dnydra Scott
Liberty University
Alexis Valdez Jaira Jenkins
Park University
Karamo Dukuly
Post University
Jacob DiPietro
Purdue University Global
Chris Blakney
Regent University
Fidben Lepe
Southern New Hampshire University
Eybeth Chase, Robelto Rose, Sharon Rose, Edward Chase, Angela Streit
University of Maryland Global
Gene Baudino-Melendez, Requie San Pablo, Dale Taylor, Andrew Williams
University of Phoenix
Suman Thapa
Vermont Law and Graduate School
Kristina Smith