Bachelor’s Degree

The 2026 Graduate

It’s graduation day! Turkey received his Bachelor of Science in mathematics, which is just amazing to me…he knows and loves math so well!

Very early this morning, we all headed to UMSL for the graduation ceremony for the College of Arts and Sciences.

The rain held off long enough afterward for us to get some pictures:

And the traditional parents and graduate photo at home, of course!

Turkey picked Star Wars Ronto Wraps for his celebratory dinner:

And we toasted him with the “High Republic Cordial,” a sweet and spicy drink from the new Star Wars: Galactic Drinks cookbook:

For dessert, we had Biscoff cookie butter pie:

I’m so proud of all of Turkey’s accomplishments, and it was my joy and privilege to celebrate him today!

  • Bachelor of Science in Mathematics
  • Alumni Award for the Senior Math Student With Highest GPA
  • Summa Cum Laude
  • Dean’s List
  • Pierre Laclede Honors College
  • Accelerated Master’s Program
  • Phi Kappa Phi
  • Highest UMSL Score–MAA Putnam Exam
  • Mathematical Association of American Missouri Section Meeting Attendee
  • 2026 Graduate

The View From the Top

We have had a very exciting few days, because Bunny graduated from Western Kentucky University with a Bachelor’s Degree in history!

The actual commencement was on Thursday night, and began with the “Topper Walk,” the students’ final walk across campus as undergraduates:

The ceremony was held on the football field, and we got really lucky with the weather…even though there had been storms around the area all day, all we ran into was a few sprinkles, and it wasn’t even hot!

I was impressed with how organized and efficient the whole process was, and I definitely shed a few tears along the way!

Following the ceremony, we stopped by the “Big Red Bash” on the South Lawn…the highlight of the event was seeing the host himself!

On the way out, we saw Cherry Hall aglow in WKU’s signature red:

We were back on campus yesterday morning for the recognition ceremony for Bunny’s college…the Potter College of Arts and Letters. This is the event where each graduate’s name is read, and they receive their (fake) diploma.

Bunny received a special honor, which was worn in the form of a medal..the Top Scholar of the College!

This was another very organized event…they clearly know what they’re doing!

After we located Bunny, we took lots and lots of pictures, staring with the traditional grad and parents photo:

And then we walked around campus, taking pictures in all of Bunny’s favorite locations, plus a few I wanted to add to the list:

Bunny loves WKU!

One last stop outside the Alumni Center, which is now Bunny’s center, too!

  • Bachelor of Arts in History
  • Tourism Minor
  • Summa Cum Laude
  • President’s List
  • James H Poteet Award for “Outstanding Potential in Teaching and Research in History”
  • History Undergraduate Research Conference Presenter
  • Richard Troutman memorial prize winner for best overall paper at HURC
  • A.M. Stickles Award for a senior history major with an outstanding record of academic achievement
  • Richard L. Troutman Award for a senior history major with an outstanding record of academic achievement
  • Top Scholar of the Potter College of Arts and Letters
  • 2025 Graduate