Graduation 2026

John Paul the Great Catholic University held its 18th annual commencement on Saturday, August 29th at The Grand Ritz Theater in Escondido. The commencement exercises celebrated 93 undergraduate students from the Class of 2026. Congratulations to all of our new alumni!

Graduating Class of 2026

Freshman Photo 2023

After the final day of classes on August 21st, the JPCatholic community had a full week to celebrate the senior class and their accomplishments.

• On Monday evening in Pelican Plaza, the Senior Dinner continued a long tradition that goes back to the very first graduating class. Hosted by President Derry and Lidy Connolly, the evening gave our seniors a chance to reflect on their three years at JPCatholic, share stories and words of gratitude, and begin saying goodbye to the community they’ve called home. This year was the first Senior Dinner to be hosted at the new Creative Arts Complex.
• On Wednesday evening at the Ritz Theater, the Digital Music seniors hosted a capstone concert titled “Dear Someone”. Spearheaded by Mary Leskowicz, the concert gave each music senior the opportunity to showcase their compositions. These include several tracks from Crossroads, a new album released last week by senior Theo Pashley. See Program
• On Thursday morning, a Visual Arts Showcase exhibited a variety of digital and traditional artwork from the graduating class, along with a demo of Carby and the Magic Fountains, a 1 to 4 player couch co-op roguelike. The fantasy action game will be published soon on itch.io - follow the game on Instagram @carby_game
• On Thursday afternoon, the Business Pitch Competition gave entrepreneurial students the chance to present their business plans or creative undertakings to a panel and seek funding for their next steps. This year’s cohort included seven pitches (six to a live audience yesterday), and on Friday it was announced that these three contestants will be awarded funding:
• Archangel, a Christian video game that combines epic gameplay with authentic theology, where you play as St. Michael the Archangel. The project is being spearheaded by graduating Game Dev senior Luke Luna.
• Cana Grace Weddings, a wedding planning service by recent business graduate Katharine Roach (IG: @canagraceweddings)
• How Golf, an AI-powered app to habitually improve your golf swing, developed by graduating Business senior Barrett Voelker along with a pro golfer partner.
• Later on Thursday, seniors from the Humanities department presented their Theology & Philosophy theses, on topics such as human dignity and education, faith and works, and the mission of Catholic storytellers.
• On Thursday night and Friday afternoon, JPCatholic Theatre Productions performed Seussical the Musical at the Ritz Theater, directed by Prof. Katelyn Slater. Dr. Robert Giracello was the musical director, Prof. Elena Chirkova led costume design, and Megan Geier led choreography. See Playbill
• Friday morning, the Creative Writing Capstone presentations gave students the opportunity to read excerpts from their Novel Writing capstone courses. Through this sequence, seniors spent three quarters developing, writing, and editing a novel, finishing with a printed manuscript. Genres ranged from YA fiction to fantasy and more.
• On Friday evening at the Ritz Theater, the Senior Project Screening showcased four senior films, two acting practicums, two animated shorts, and a video game trailer for Carby and the Magic Fountains. In addition, audiences were treated to a sneak preview of JPCatholic’s upcoming feature film, The Pickleball Racket!

See Photo Gallery