The 2026 College of Humanities convocation celebrated the College’s graduates as they begin a new chapter in life.
After years of studying, nearly 500 humanities graduates gathered for one final moment of reflection before they bid farewell to their time at BYU. On April 24, 2026, the College of Humanities held its convocation at the BYU Marriott Center, honoring the graduates as they move forward in the next chapter of their lives. Drawing from lived experience, Dean Christopher “Chip” Oscarson (Interdisciplinary Humanities, Scandinavian Studies), student Kathryn Douglas (Korean ’26), and Professor George Handley (Literature of the Americas, Ecotheology) shared messages encouraging the graduates to remain grounded in their faith.
By Small and Simple Things
Dean Oscarson opened the ceremony by recognizing the small and simple things that have brought each graduate to where they stand today. He shared a story of his grandfather, Roy Oscarson, who, at the height of the Great Depression, hitchhiked 1,000 miles from Salt Lake City to Seattle after hearing about a potential job in a shoe store. Upon his arrival, he found there was no job for him, but the manager let him work a 12-hour shift and told him he could return “as an extra.”
The next day, Oscarson’s grandfather woke up and realized it was Sunday. He was in a new city, disheartened, and exhausted. He had every reason to stay in bed, but he decided to find a meetinghouse and go to church. A small and simple thing, that Sunday morning “set a precedent that no matter how tired, penniless, or exhausted he might be, he would put the Lord first,” said Oscarson. His grandfather later became one of the most successful senior executives of that shoe company, and he remained a devoted disciple of Christ.
Oscarson related this story to the graduates, who, like his grandfather, stood at a turning point in their lives. He urged them to place importance on the small and simple things and to “seek . . . first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33) as they use their education for good. He said, “Your education will be an amplifier that increases your capacity, and with your heart inclined toward the Lord and His righteousness, He will magnify you and your ability to spread light and truth in the world.”
Courage to Be a Beginner
Kathryn Douglas spoke on the importance of having the courage to be a beginner. Douglas recalled her unconventional path to BYU—studying dance at a community college, working at a law firm, and teaching English in Korea, before returning to higher education. She noted the fear that accompanied each of these experiences. “Before attending community college, I had never had any formal dance training. Before working at a law firm, I had never stepped foot in a legal office. Although I had dance teaching experience, I had never taught English before, let alone moved to a foreign country in the middle of a pandemic,” she said.
Douglas especially had fears about attending BYU. She worried about how she’d adjust to being back at school after spending five years away from higher education. She worried she would be “too old” as a 26-year-old and struggle to find belonging. However, she said, “If my experiences have taught me anything, it is that the opportunities I want are locked behind the door of being a beginner, and the key to that door is courage.” She encouraged the graduates, who “stand in the hallway of life’s opportunities,” to find the courage to be beginners. “I hope you remember to be brave, to be strong, and to be of good courage as the Lord guides us to our next door.”
Seeking Unity Through the Humanities
Professor George Handley gave the last address. He introduced the Basque city of Guernica, which he visited while leading a study abroad program in Spain. Guernica was tragically bombed during the Spanish Civil War in 1937 by Spain’s soon-to-be dictator, Francisco Franco. After the bombing, José Antonio Aguirre y Lecube, leader of the Basque people, said, “the Basque people do not ask for vengeance. Their overwhelming desire is for peace and justice.”
Handley told of a museum in Guernica that presents the idea that although history is often written based on individuals like Franco, “the true story of humanity is the story of peace.” Similarly, Handley urged the graduates to seek peace as they navigate a world where political division is at an all-time high. “We are a nation at war,” he said, but “our doctrine shows a better way.” Handley quoted recent Church leaders like President Russell M. Nelson and President Dallin H. Oaks who have called us to “be peacemakers who build bridges of understanding rather than walls of prejudice.”
Handley pointed out the graduates’ unique ability as Latter-day Saints to “live, listen, and work together as a single body.” Additionally, he said, “you in the humanities have been especially trained to begin to understand the diversity of beliefs, languages, and customs that make up our beautiful and plural society. With empathetic understanding of that diversity, you can help find and communicate a common ground.”
Urging the graduates to use their education to unite, Handley said, “the worst mistake you can make as a student of the humanities and as a disciple of Christ is to believe that it is more important to have correct ideas and beliefs than it is to have the integrity to act on them in your society.” Although it may be difficult, he said, “I believe each one of you is uniquely prepared to meet this moment, and that God will bless the adventurous among you who accept the call to bring this time of division to an end.”
Read more about the graduates and speakers in the convocation program here.