Utah Virtual Academy Honors 202 Graduates at Class of 2026 Commencement

Dr. Shaun McAlmont delivers keynote address as graduates from 79 cities across Utah mark milestone at in-person ceremony

MURRAY UTAH, UT, UNITED STATES, May 22, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- SANDY, Utah — Utah Virtual Academy (UTVA) celebrated the graduation of 202 seniors Thursday evening, bringing students together from 79 cities and 27 school districts across the state for the Class of 2026 commencement ceremony. The event marked one of the largest gatherings in the school's history, with students, families, and educators filling the venue for an in-person celebration of academic achievement earned entirely through a virtual classroom.

Among the 202 graduates: 185 completed full career and technical education pathways in fields including business, healthcare, information technology, and engineering. Hundreds of college credits were earned through concurrent enrollment while students were still in high school. Eleven graduates attended UTVA for ten or more years. Three were enrolled since kindergarten, completing all 13 years of their K-12 education at the school. Thirty-four are graduating with high honors or honors, five with 4.0 grade point averages, and eleven are members of the National Honor Society.

Keynote speaker Dr. Shaun McAlmont, chief executive officer of the Collaborative for Higher Education Services, anchored his address in the story of a career-defining injury at the NCAA Championships that ended his chance to compete at the Olympics. A Division I track and field athlete at Brigham Young University and conference champion, McAlmont severed a tendon mid-race and finished on one leg in front of thousands.

"Sometimes the goal, the achievement, and the true victory is simply getting back up and finishing," McAlmont told graduates. "When you stumbled, you got up. You continued to push. And here you are today."

McAlmont drew a direct line from that moment to the habits graduates built at UTVA, pointing to self-management, written communication, and the ability to follow through without external pressure as the skills most in demand across every career field.

"The people who succeed in this next era will not be the people who resist change and challenge," he said, "but the ones who adapt intelligently to it."

Executive Director Meghan Merideth opened the ceremony by acknowledging the students for something that rarely gets named at a graduation: the people who were not in the building. She recognized the 240 part-time SOEP students graduating at other schools across the state who took at least one course through UTVA, and she spoke directly to the families, coaches, guardians, and siblings who showed up in place of a traditional school system.

"You chose a school that walked into your home every day," Merideth said. "You sat through hard math problems. You sat through harder conversations. You were the learning coach before it was a job title. Your graduate is not sitting in this chapter now without you."

Merideth also noted the geographic reach of the graduating class, a group that came from Brigham City, Enterprise, Eagle Mountain, Marysville, Kearns, and dozens of communities in between, as evidence that public education's core promise still holds.

"Public education is built on the promise that a child's zip code would not decide their future," she said. "A virtual public charter school is one of the ways that promise gets kept in places the traditional system cannot reach."

Valedictorian Zachary Kahl reflected on the leadership roles he held throughout high school and the lesson that followed him across all of them.

"Compassion and understanding will prevail above all," Kahl said, urging his classmates to offer support and guidance to people who think and act differently from them. "Those are the obstacles that are merely tests of how much we can handle before we give up. When faced with problems, there will always be a solution, and if not, a more desirable outcome."

Salutatorian Camille Fischer spoke with directness about the difficulty of the path and the people who made it possible.

"The teachers at UTVA were always really kind and understanding, always willing to go out of their way to offer me guidance and support," Fischer said. "Thank you to the teachers here and those that aren't here in person for taking time out of your busy schedules to help all of us get here."

Board Chair Dallin Drescher closed with three pieces of advice he acknowledged were simple on purpose. He told graduates to call their parents, do their laundry, and do good, not do well.

"So much of our life is measured by accomplishments," Drescher said. "But I believe that the joy you'll feel from your life is directly correlated to the good you do. The world does not need you to solve enormous problems. It needs you to just do something in your neighborhood, in your work, in how you show up every day."

The Class of 2026 is moving into a range of post-graduation paths. Sixty-nine graduates are entering higher education programs, 52 are heading to technical and trade schools, 12 to apprenticeships, six into military service, and eight to religious or service missions.

UTVA serves students statewide through full-time online enrollment for grades K-12 and part-time enrollment through the Statewide Online Education Program (SOEP) for students in grades 6-12 who wish to take individual courses while remaining at their current school. The school is accredited by Cognia Accreditation and Certification.

About Utah Virtual Academy
Utah Virtual Academy (UTVA) is a tuition-free, accredited online public charter school serving K-12 students across Utah. With flexible full-time and part-time enrollment options, live instruction from certified Utah teachers, and a curriculum aligned to state standards, UTVA provides personalized, high-quality education that meets students where they are. Learn more at utahvirtualacademy.org.

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Cory Maloy
Utah Virtual Academy
+1 801-319-7900
cory@maloypr.com

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