- May 14, 2026
Daytona State College awarded more than 4,000 degrees during three commencement ceremonies Tuesday, May 12, at the Ocean Center.
The ceremonies featured remarks from DSC President Dr. Thomas LoBasso, and District Board of Trustees Chair Dr. Randall Howard and Vice Chair Robert Lloyd.
“The great baseball player Jackie Robinson — who made history right here in Daytona Beach — once said, ‘Life is not a spectator sport.’ Each of you has proven that,” LoBasso said. “You made the decision to continue your education. You faced challenges. You pushed through obstacles. And today, you are stronger for it. Wherever your journey takes you, know this: we are here for you.”
Daytona State’s Class of 2026 included 4,026 graduates — one of the largest graduating classes in the college’s history. This year’s graduates included 329 Bachelor of Science degrees, 220 Bachelor of Applied Science degrees, 1,845 Associate of Arts degrees, 735 Associate of Science degrees, 895 certificates, 172 graduates from the School of Adult Education and 325 dual-enrolled students who also attend local high schools.
The college has a long history of serving multiple generations of families and 2026 was no different. The family of Volusia County Tax Collector Will Roberts celebrated three generations graduating from Daytona State during the early afternoon ceremony. Roberts graduated from DSC with an Associate of Arts degree in 2001 before going on to get a bachelor’s degree from University of Central Florida in 2003 and returning to DSC to train to become a corrections officer. His daughter, Carlina Roberts, graduated during the 2 p.m. ceremony with her Associate of Arts and will be attending UCF to get her bachelor’s in Communications. Roberts’ mother-in-law, Paula Morton, also graduated from DSC in 2001 at 54 (the oldest in her graduating class) with a nursing degree and went on to teach at DSC for many years. Morton has been recently diagnosed with terminal cancer and made it her mission to attend Carlina’s graduation.
“I’m proud to see Carlina’s success and move on to advanced education,” Morton said. “It is so important to have an affordable college option in this community that allows young people to advance in their careers and potentially earn more money because of their education. That is very important to provide stability in our community for an opportunity for those who grew up here to continue to live and thrive here if they choose to.”
A total of 1,085 students graduated with honors, 901 who earned high honors, and 47 students completed the Quanta-Honors College program. Among bachelor’s degree graduates, 126 earned cum laude distinction with GPAs ranging from 3.5 to 3.74, 24 graduated magna cum laude with GPAs of 3.75 to 3.89, and 24 graduated summa cum laude with GPAs of 3.9 or higher.
The Class of 2026 also included seven graduates inducted into the Daytona State College Hall of Fame and 258 students inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, which recognizes academic excellence among community college students in associate degree, certificate and adult education programs.
In addition, 43 students were inducted into Alpha Nu Delta, recognizing academic excellence in the Associate Degree Nursing program; 18 students were inducted into Sigma Beta Delta, recognizing achievement in Business Management and Administration; and four students were inducted into Lambda Epsilon Chi, recognizing academic excellence in the paralegal program.
