Cleveland State University Set to Celebrate the Class of 2026
Cleveland State University (CSU) will celebrate the academic achievements of more than 2,400 petitioning graduates during its spring commencement ceremonies.
Bachelor’s and master’s degree candidates will be honored Saturday, May 9 over two ceremonies at the CSU Wolstein Center. The first ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. for the College of Health and Monte Ahuja College of Business; the second ceremony begins at 2 p.m. for the College of Arts and Sciences, Levin College of Public Affairs and Education and Washkewicz College of Engineering.
The ceremony for doctoral graduates will be held Friday, May 8 at 6 p.m. at the CSU Waetjen Auditorium. The College of Law ceremony will be held on Sunday, May 17 at 1 p.m. at the Wolstein Center.
The University is proud to have 1,433 students who petitioned for bachelor’s degrees, 830 students who petitioned for master’s degrees, 68 who petitioned for doctoral degrees and 105 who petitioned for juris doctorate degrees. The ceremonies will be available for viewing on CSU’s Commencement web page.
“Our spring graduates have worked diligently to reach this important milestone, and now they join a vast network of CSU alumni,” said CSU President Dr. Laura Bloomberg. “They leave Cleveland State prepared not only to pursue their ambitions, but to lead, innovate and make meaningful contributions in their communities and professions.”
Sydney Wisnor, from Elyria, Ohio, was selected as the valedictorian speaker for the morning ceremony. She is earning a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences on the Pre-Occupational Therapy track, with a minor in Neuroscience and maintained a 4.0 GPA, earning dean’s or president’s list honors each semester.
Wisnor completed more than 300 hours of volunteer work, primarily with GiGi’s Playhouse Cleveland, served as a neuroscience lab teaching assistant supporting student learning and led the Pre-Occupational Therapy Association as president. She will begin CSU’s Doctor of Occupational Therapy program this fall and plans to work as an occupational therapist for children with neurological conditions or cancer.
Sarah McCartney, from Lorain, Ohio, was selected as the valedictorian speaker for the afternoon ceremony. She is earning two Bachelor of Arts degrees -- in Psychology and Sociology -- with minors in Neuroscience and Religious Studies, and is a student in the CSU Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Honors College,
McCartney was active in Psychology Club, inducted into Psi Chi International Honor Society and served as a volunteer crisis counselor with Crisis Text Line. She contributed to research through the Healthy Relationships Lab, presented at the 2025 Midwestern Psychological Conference and earned a Psi Chi Regional Research Award for her honors thesis. She participated in the Cleveland Clinic’s Summer Treatment Program and will continue her work as a lead intern this summer before starting CSU’s psychology graduate program this fall.
Read more about Sydney, Sarah and other high-achieving graduates on the University’s Commencement Graduate Stories web page.