Northland Pioneer College (NPC) celebrated its 52nd Commencement on May 9, at the Roadrunner Stadium.
This year’s commencement speaker was Dr. Junlei Li, the Saul Zaentz Chair in Early Childhood Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. As a developmental psychologist, Dr. Li’s research and practice focus on supporting the helpers, those who serve children and families on the front lines of education and social services.
Among 2026 graduates were the second inaugural class of NPC bachelor’s degree recipients. Leticia Albert, Kiersten Begley, Monique Fowler-Pacheco, Stetson Hancock, Cheyenne Lester, Rebecca Orona, Charmayne Quintero and Daphane Walker graduated with the Bachelor of Applied Management. Earning a Bachelor of Applied Science in Early Child Education were Debbie Burbank, Keri Daggett, Tiffany Honahnie, Leslie Todd, Heather Tucker and Violet Wartz.
Additionally, 84 NPC graduates received transfer degrees. Of those degrees, 51 Associate of Arts degrees were awarded. Five of those were in elementary education. Six students took home an Associate of Business degree. The Associate of General Studies degree was conferred upon 33 graduates. There were 11 students who earned their Associate of Science. There were 144 students who were recipients of the Associate of Applied Science degree. And 55 students received the Arizona General Education Curriculum certificate. An additional 183 students earned a Certificate of Applied Science and 505 students earned a Certificate of Proficiency.
Five outstanding graduates addressed their peers during the ceremony. These outstanding graduates are recognized for their top grade-point averages and overall academic achievements.
NPC’s top bachelor’s degree graduate is Stetson Hancock of Snowflake/Taylor. Hancock is NPC’s inaugural bachelor’s degree program graduate in the field of applied management. He currently works at his family’s taxidermy business and plans to apply his education to learning more about business management. He hopes to own his own business one day.
Pamela Bishop of Holbrook was NPC’s Outstanding Associate of Arts Graduate. She plans to continue her studies at Northern Arizona University and hopes to apply her education to helping her community and improving the well-being of those living in Northeast Arizona.
Autumn Sprengeler of Fort Apache is the top Associate of Science graduate. Jeremy Williams of Lakeside is the outstanding graduate with an Associate of Applied Science degree. Jett Walker of Show Low is the top graduate for the Associate of General Studies.
NPC would like to congratulate these outstanding students and their peers as they complete their journey with NPC as the graduating class of 2026.
