- University of Utah hosts commencement exercises for Ccass of 2026.
- Bestselling "happiness" author Arthur Brooks delivers keynote address.
- Honorary doctorates awarded to Elder Ronald A. Rasband, Clark Ivory and Meeche White.
Take risks. Lead with weakness. And build meaningful relationships.
Those were the challenges extended Thursday from human happiness expert and bestselling author Arthur Brooks to the University of Utah’s class of 2026. The state’s flagship university hosted its 157th General Commencement exercises at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on April 30.
As a University of Utah Impact Scholar, Brooks is no stranger to the Salt Lake City campus. He calls it “his Western home — my secondary academic affiliation.”
And now Brooks can add “University of Utah commencement speaker” to his campus connection.
For multiple decades, Brooks has been an observer of success. He’s gleaned many success lessons — including the essentialness of taking risks.
Risks of the heart, he said, matter most.
“A lot of us are really afraid of those kinds of risks. It’s one thing to be successful in the marketplace. It’s something else to be successful in the affairs that matter the most to you — the relationships that will make you a truly happy person.”
Brooks noted that today people are less often getting married and forming families. They even fall in love less. “And that,” he said, “is a nonentrepreneurial mindset.”
Want to be a real entrepreneur? The kind of “entrepreneurship” that defines a purposeful “startup life?” asked Brooks. “Then give your heart away. Go tell somebody that you’re secretly in love with them.”
Brooks didn’t promise that love would be reciprocated. But that’s OK.
“You’re afraid of something in your life. You’re afraid of something in your heart: Go confess that,” he told the graduates. “Take more risks — and watch your ‘entrepreneurial’ life improve.”
The second key to a “startup life”: Lead with weaknesses — not strengths.
“If you want to connect with people in a real way — which is to say, you want to be successful in your life and you want to be happy — connect with your weaknesses and honesty,” Brooks said.
Brooks shared stories of acquaintances who realized great success in varied fields — but only after they experienced failure and weakness. He himself came from a family tradition of academia. But when he started college, Brooks, in his words, “screwed around and I failed my classes.”
Young Arthur Brooks dropped out of college, became a professional musician, married and started a family.
By the time he was 28, he decided to go back to college at a correspondence institution — and eventually ended up in graduate school, earning a doctorate.
Later he found himself, professionally, in the company of colleagues who had studied at elite universities. But Brooks set his pride aside and took ownership of his seemingly humble academic background.
“That was the day that my life really started to change for the better — when I started to lead with these weaknesses,” said Brooks.
“These were lessons I didn’t learn from the richest people in the world. These were lessons that I learned the good old-fashioned American way — which was from people at the margins of society who made great things from their lives.”
The University of Utah and its graduates, he added, are examples of how everyone can elevate themselves through hard work, merit, personal responsibility and a community of helpful people.
Brooks closed his message with the memory of a middle-aged woman who had experienced her own challenges and weaknesses before earning a college diploma. On the day of her graduation, the woman raised her hard-earned degree — and then thanked her husband, five kids and the Lord.
“That’s my person. That’s my hero. That’s the person that I want to be,” said Brooks. “That’s the story that really inspires me to live my best life, and that’s what we can all live here.”
Graduate stories of resilience — and education’s hope
In his remarks, University of Utah President Taylor Randall noted the mountain peaks surrounding the school’s sprawling campus.
“They’re an inspiring symbol of all that you have overcome to get this far, despite whatever difficulties you faced,” he told the graduates. “I have seen you remain resilient and optimistic about your future.
“As you look at the summits yet to come, know that you have the U. behind you — and the world of opportunity before you.”
Student commencement speaker Gerald Parrott’s path to Thursday’s graduation was one defined by summits and valleys. Before attending the university, he battled addiction, homelessness and troubles with the law.
But when Parrott learned he was going to be a father, he decided to blaze another path — and education was his lantern.
“If you had told me in my 20s, that the moment that would change my life forever would happen while sitting in a jail cell, I would have called you crazy,” Parrott said. “My life mostly consisted of chasing whatever numbed me the fastest.”
But news that he would be a parent was life-changing. “My life wasn’t just about me anymore.”
Parrott decided to be an example of discipline and responsibility to his young son, so he took the first steps to a college education.
“The University of Utah took a chance on me, and I’m eternally grateful for that,” he said. “I came here only expecting to obtain a degree — but I also found self-respect. The student body accepted me, and the professors pushed me to be more than I thought I was capable of being.”
Parrott saluted his fellow graduates — regardless of whatever paths led them to their degrees.
“If you ever find yourself in a time where everything feels hopeless, just remember — keep showing up,” he said. “Because no matter how impossible things feel, the lowest point in your life might be the moment your real story begins.”
Randall offered the evening’s final message.
“We wish you ongoing success,” he said, fighting emotion. “I believe the world is in incredible hands.
“We do this because of you. Because we have an incredible hope in the future of humanity; that each of you will run at the large problems of society. That you will solve them. That together, we will create peace on earth.
“That we will create remarkable communities that are resilient, inclusive and building.”
A trio of honorary doctorates
The University of Utah also awarded three individuals with impactful ties to the state with honorary doctorates: Clark Ivory, Elder Ronald A. Rasband and Meeche White.
“Honorary degrees recognize individuals whose work has created lasting, measurable impact,” said Randall in a university release announcing the honorary degree recipients.
“Clark, Ronald and Meeche have built, led and served in ways that strengthen communities, expand opportunity and change lives. They represent the kind of leadership we hope our graduates will carry forward, grounded in purpose, driven by innovation and committed to serving others.”
Clark Ivory
A lifelong Ute fan, Ivory graduated from the University of Utah in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in political science before earning an MBA from Harvard Business School.
He is the owner of Utah’s largest homebuilder — Ivory Homes.
Ivory and his wife, Christine, are education and community advocates — dedicating their efforts to helping others realize higher education opportunities while strengthening their communities.
Elder Ronald A. Rasband
Utah native Elder Ronald A. Rasband is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
After attending the University of Utah, Elder Rasband went on to a business career at Huntsman Chemical Corporation, ultimately serving as the company’s president and COO.
In 1995 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Utah Valley University.
He was called to be a General Authority Seventy in 2000 and 15 years later was ordained a Latter-day Saint Apostle. His church service has taken him to assignments across the globe.
Meeche White
A native of Connecticut and a lifelong outdoor enthusiast, White graduated from Florida State University before eventually settling in Park City.
In 1985, she and her then-husband, Pete, founded Utah’s National Ability Center to provide individuals with disabilities opportunities to enjoy outdoor recreation and adventure.
Under her leadership, the center grew from providing 45 adaptive ski lessons in 1985 to more than 25,000 lessons each year in more than 12 different sports in 2015.
In 1993, White was the head coach of the U.S. Special Olympics Alpine Ski Team. And in 2002, she served on the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) manager.
White continues to work in developing international adapted sports programs for people in several continents.
By the numbers: University of Utah’s newest alumni
- Students in the class of 2026 represent 51 U.S. states and territories and 61 foreign countries.
- 10,266 degrees were awarded (some graduates receive more than one degree); 6,679 bachelor’s degrees; 2,551 master’s degrees; 636 doctoral degrees; 100 juris doctors; 126 doctors of medicine; 81 doctors of nursing practice; 44 doctors of pharmacy; and 49 doctors of dental surgery.
- The average undergraduate grade-point average was 3.495.
- The average age of bachelor’s degree recipients is 24; the youngest graduating undergraduate is 18 and the oldest is 79.
- The average age of students receiving graduate degrees is 31; the youngest is 20 and the oldest is 67.
- The top 10 undergraduate majors are: psychology, communication, computer science, biology, health/kinesiology, finance, nursing, games, marketing and mechanical engineering.
- A total of 337 veterans are receiving degrees.
