Tassels turned and dreams launched at UNCSA Commencement 2026

UNCSA celebrated the Class of 2026 during University and High School Commencement ceremonies held Saturday, May 16, honoring the achievements, artistry and resilience of graduating high school and university students.

Family members, friends, faculty and staff gathered to recognize the newest UNCSA alumni as they crossed the stage and prepared to begin the next chapter of their creative journeys.

Below are a few moments captured during the events and photos from the Class of 2026.

University Commencement 

The University Commencement ceremony celebrated graduates from all five of UNCSA’s arts schools — Dance, Design & Production, Drama, Filmmaking and Music — recognizing students who earned undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as professional certificates. 

High School Commencement

The High School Commencement ceremony celebrated graduates from UNCSA’s high school programs in Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts. 

Tiffany Little Canfield

In her commencement address, casting director and UNCSA alumna Tiffany Little Canfield reflected on the challenges and rewards of pursuing an artistic life, urging graduates to celebrate both their accomplishments and their resilience. “You did it,” she told the Class of 2026, emphasizing the emotional and creative rigor of conservatory training and reminding students that they “didn’t sign up for ‘easy’” but instead “signed up for the life of an artist. A life of authenticity.”

Throughout the speech, Little Canfield encouraged graduates to resist comparison, disengage from negativity online and remain actively connected to the art they hope to create. She urged students to “focus on what you HAVE, not what you have not” and to “take action against your fears” by engaging with theater, film, music and community rather than consuming criticism from afar. 

The Fighting Pickle

UNCSA’s beloved Fighting Pickle made its signature appearance at both commencement ceremonies, bringing a burst of tradition and spirit to the celebrations. The mascot’s energetic presence has become a hallmark of UNCSA milestones, adding a playful moment of pride as graduates marked the culmination of their studies.

In a surprise reveal during the ceremony, it was shared that graduating Music student AJ Canby has been behind the mask for the past four years, embodying the Fighting Pickle spirit throughout much of their time at the university.

Chancellor Brian Cole

Chancellor Cole closed his remarks with a quote that the legendary Rosemary Harris read at UNCSA commencement ceremonies for several years. He said they are words "that are from the great American dancer Martha Graham, who spoke them in conversation to the great American dancer Agnes de Mille, who at the time was experiencing a crisis of faith in herself as an artist. Martha Graham said to Agnes de Mille, very quietly:

“There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and (will) be lost. The world will not have it.

It is not your business to determine how good it is; nor how valuable it is; nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours. Clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.

You do not even have to believe in yourself and your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open . . . No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.”

View the recorded broadcasts of the University Commencement, held Saturday, May 16 at 10 a.m., and the High School Commencement, held at 2:30 p.m. on our Livestream Archive page.

By Melissa Upton-Julio

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