There are 2,000 new members of the Trojan Family.
On May 15, before esteemed professors and loved ones, undergraduate and graduate students from the USC Marshall School of Business and USC Leventhal School of Accounting punctuated years of hard work with a final walk across the commencement stage, officially becoming the Class of 2026.
Yet, standing before thousands of Trojans and family members at the Peristyle side of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, USC Marshall Dean Geoffrey Garrett said he saw more than rows of graduating students. He saw tomorrow’s leaders.
“The world has never needed your leadership more,” Garrett said. “Your creativity, your curiosity, your agility, your resilience, your collaboration, your compassion, those things will change the world. What you’ve done in your time at USC is just incredible, but I can’t wait to see what you do now that you’re launching into the rest of your lives.”
Garrett turned attendees’ attention to the Olympic torch, which has honored two previous Olympic Games and will watch over another in 2028. The crowd roared as it ignited into a powerful blaze, signaling the beginning of the 2026 commencement ceremony.
Marshall Commencement
Suitable for the Coliseum setting, legendary USC football coach Pete Carroll served as the ceremony’s honorary speaker. Carroll led USC football for nine seasons, winning nine Pac-10 titles while coaching 53 NFL draft picks and multiple Heisman Trophy winners. He is one of just three head coaches to win both a Super Bowl and the college football national championship.
Ever the motivator, Carroll opened his remarks with a clear, coach’s message:
“Today, we’re not only Trojans. We’re Team Marshall!” Carroll exclaimed.
Carroll is known for his competitive fire and personal impact. His speech was no exception. The coach stressed that a winning mentality extends far beyond the football field and encouraged students to pursue excellence each day in every aspect of their lives.
“Whether you are coaching the Trojans or the Seahawks, teaching at USC, working at your job, or running a household, all you should ever strive for is to be the best you can be,” Caroll said.
Carroll’s USC connections stretch beyond his coaching. In 2025, he co-taught a Marshall course with USC Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life Varun Soni and Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship David Belasco, entitled “The Game is Life.” Across the semester, Carroll guided students through their personal “game plan” for life, with a special focus on maximizing their potential.
Carroll echoed these lessons from the podium, pushing the Class of 2026 with self-belief and unrelenting drive, backed by thousands of Trojan teammates.
“We can’t stay in this proverbial ‘locker room’ any longer. It’s time to step off this campus and cross Figueroa!” Carroll said. “But remember: You’re not doing this alone. Team Marshall is right there with you. We’re all in this together.”
Elechi Iroaga, a business administration major and future employee of Ernst & Young, delivered the honorary address on behalf of Marshall’s undergraduate class. In her remarks, she sought to instill in her classmates the same confidence she gained over the past four years, while envisioning a future reshaped by Trojan excellence.
“What is next for the Class of 2026? What is in our future? I’ll tell you what I see. I see excellence,” Iroaga said. “I see change makers, ground-shakers, record breakers. I see business creators, tech innovators, knowledge curators. I see entertainers, life savers, path pavers. I see Trojans changing the world with each step they take towards their goals.”
Melissa Soong, full-time MBA student, Marshall Consulting and Strategy Club (MCSC) president, and graduate student speaker, urged her fellow graduates to be courageous in their careers and lean on their community of friends, mentors, and fellow Trojan alumni. She said she and her classmates developed more than a professional network — they built a “personal board of directors.”
“I’m talking about the classmates that sit next to you in Popovich Hall, at 11 p.m., rehearsing your final presentation,” Soong said. “It’s your group chat that sends you the sweetest good luck voice memos moments before your biggest interview. And the professors who bring in guest speakers and alumni to open doors you didn’t even know existed. My board encouraged me to step into roles I never dared to imagine.”
Through collaboration and leadership, Soong said the Class of 2026 has embodied the camaraderie of the Trojan Family.
“We turned what could have been a transactional network into a transformational one,” Soong said. “I am proud of our class because we have become leaders who don’t just chase opportunities — we create them for each other. This is the kind of leadership our world needs.”
