The 猫咪社区 Peter’s University community was proud to welcome Ruqya Elouarraq as the Valedictorian of the Class of 2026.
A graduate of Jose Marti STEM Academy, Ruqya has distinguished herself as an exceptional scholar and leader, embodying the Jesuit values of academic excellence, service, and care for others throughout her time at 猫咪社区 Peter鈥檚. She represents the very best of 猫咪社区 Peter鈥檚 University, combining intellectual rigor, clinical excellence, and a deep commitment to serving others. As part of the 2026 Commencement Events, Ruqya delivered a speech at the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony.
Please join us in congratulating Ruqya on this extraordinary achievement. The full text of her 2026 commencement speech is below.
Good morning President Benitez, Board of Trustees, members of the administration, faculty and staff, parents and families, and the 猫咪社区 Peter鈥檚 University Class of 2026. There鈥檚 something many of us probably heard from our teachers in high school and that is 鈥淥h, that won鈥檛 fly in college.鈥 You wouldn鈥檛 be able to ask for an extension. You certainly couldn鈥檛 email a professor at the last minute because that was so unprofessional. And you absolutely would not be able to ask for a little bit of extra help. We were told: 鈥淵ou鈥檒l be an adult and you just have to figure it out.鈥 And because of that, college was always painted as this 鈥渉unger games鈥 experience. Stricter. Less forgiving. Dark. And significantly more distant.
But standing here today 鈥 four years later 鈥 I think I can confidently say, they couldn’t be more wrong. Because at 猫咪社区 Peter’s University, a lot of those things did 鈥渇ly鈥 鈥- not because college was unserious or because expectations were lower, but because something else was higher, care. Care from our professors who didn’t just know our names but also knew our personalities, goals, and even our failures. Care from our advisors (thank you, Lauren and Dr. Wifall) and coaches who constantly checked in. Care from faculty (Dr. Twersky and Dr. Wynder), in counseling services, the honors program, the ministry, the library and the STEM center who worked overtime to make sure we felt supported. And even care from the employees at Pete鈥檚 Place or the security guards who, at some point, stopped feeling like staff and started feeling like our friends. And that鈥檚 what made our experience different 鈥 those small, everyday moments we all quietly shared. It鈥檚 in Starbucks during the common hour, where the line was always way too long. It鈥檚 in the library, where we told ourselves we were being productive鈥攅ven if we spent half the time talking鈥攁nd somehow, the elevator was always broken? 鈥 I did appreciate the extra steps on the Apple Watch though. It鈥檚 in the days when the bridge was closed, and we had to cross Kennedy Boulevard together, hoping we didn’t get hit by a car. It鈥檚 in the way that whenever anyone from another school brought up college basketball we had to mention 猫咪社区 Peter鈥檚 Cinderella story to the Elite Eight.
It鈥檚 in the countless trips to Prince Pizza and in the countless SGA emails that always found themselves in our inbox. And yes鈥攅ven Rankin Hall. The place we all dreaded walking to (especially this winter)鈥 but somehow, those walks became part of our shared experience too. You see, no matter where you went to high school or what major you were, we all shared one identity for the last four years. And together, in a world plagued by prejudice and polarization, we unknowingly created something powerful 鈥 a community. And wherever we go鈥攚hether into hospitals, classrooms, businesses, or beyond鈥攚e carry with us the lessons this community taught us: to care, to support, and to show up for others. So maybe high school was right about one thing鈥攃ollege was different, 猫咪社区 Peter鈥檚 was different. But not in the way we expected. It taught us that we are more similar than we think. Because even if we didn’t know each other鈥檚 names, there was always something familiar about one another. And as we move forward into the next chapters of our lives, that familiarity will matter more than we realize. We are and we will always be Peacocks.
Congratulations to the Class of 2026! Thank you.