In This Issue

• Celebrate JMC’s Class of 2026 at Commencement on May 2

• Today (April 27) is the last day for CAPS Connect in Case Hall this semester

• Applications are now open for Summer 2026 JMC Field Experience (Internship) Scholarships

• We have two Madisonian Mentions this week!

  • Students in HST/MC 319 published a book of oral histories last week

  • Samuel Wright is JMC’s Spring 2026 student commencement speaker

Editor’s Note: This is the last JMC Connect of the 2025-26 academic year! It will return to your inboxes in the fall.

Spring 2026 Commencement Ceremony

JMC will celebrate the Class of 2026 at the college’s Spring Commencement Ceremony on May 2 at 12:30 p.m. in the Wharton Center. Graduates are asked to arrive and assemble by 11:30 a.m. Doors will open for guests at the same time. The ceremony typically lasts around two hours.

We are honored to have U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cummings (an ’84 Madison alumnus) serve as our commencement speaker. Sam Wright (IR ’26) will be JMC’s student speaker.
 
Immediately following the ceremony until 4 p.m., there will be a reception for JMC graduates, friends and families in South Pointe inside Case Hall.

CAPS Connect

Today (April 27) is the last day for CAPS Connect in Case Hall this semester. Victor Léon is available for free, confidential drop-in counseling from 3 to 5 p.m. in S363 Case Hall.

Summer 2026 Field Experience (Internship) Scholarships

Scholarship applications are now open to JMC students enrolled in MC 400 and completing internships in the Summer 2026 Semester: 

• Students do not need to have secured the internship at the time of application, but must be enrolled in MC 400 (or approved equivalent) and have their internship confirmed before receiving the award. 

• Applications must be supported with a Faculty Recommendation from a JMC faculty member.

• Recipients are expected to complete a Letter of Acknowledgment to the scholarship donor.

Learn more and submit your application by May 29 via Qualtrics.

Madisonian Mention: HST/MC 319 Students

Students in HST/MC 319: Asian American History, taught by JMC and History Prof. Anna Pegler-Gordon, spent the semester collecting oral histories from members of the Asian diaspora living in Michigan. Their work was published last week as a book, Following the Apple Blossom: Spoken Stories of the Asian Diaspora in Michigan, with a companion website hosted by MSU Libraries. 

Roughly 20 students, half from JMC and half from across MSU, each interviewed one person about their experiences immigrating to Michigan. They then transcribed those conversations and wrote short accompanying essays. Common themes ran through the interviews: finding community, experiences of isolation, and wrestling with identity and connection to heritage. Several interviewees had come from larger cities like Shanghai and Delhi and described arriving in Michigan with an image of American life that looked very different up close in smaller towns and communities.

JMC junior Maggie deReyna, an SRP major who helped coordinate promotion of the initiative, interviewed a close friend who graduated from MSU last year. “It has been one of the coolest things I’ve done as part of a class,” she said. The project broadened her worldview, and as someone planning to work in health care, she said the deeper perspective would be helpful for that work. It also showed her how much goes into publishing, and reinforced the importance of letting people speak in their own words.

Madisonian Mention: Sam Wright

Samuel Wright is the 2026 Spring Commencement Speaker. Learn more about Samuel below!

"Hi everyone! My name is Samuel Wright, and I am a senior majoring in International Relations with a minor in European Studies. I was recently selected as the student commencement speaker for this year’s graduation, which I’m really excited about. I live in Grand Rapids with my wife and daughter, so I have about a 2.5-hour round-trip commute to campus a few times a week. Because of that, and family commitments, I haven’t been very involved in extracurriculars. If I had the chance, though, the Human Rights Lab would be at the top of my list. I really admire the work they do. Last summer, I studied abroad in Brussels, focusing on contemporary challenges in Europe, which was a highlight of my time at JMC. Much of my research here has centered on disinformation, information regulation, and their impact on democratic trajectories; something I’m very passionate about. Last week, I presented a portion of this work at the JMC Research Showcase in a project titled “Information Governance and Democratic Trajectories.”  I’m also working on an independent research project with Dean Judge on misinformation, polarization, and their effects on American democracy. Outside of academics and family time, you can usually find me on a pickleball court.”

Favorite Movie: One Battle After Another

Favorite Artist: Stephen Wilson Jr.

Favorite JMC Class: MC294 Qualitative Research Methods with Professor Flaim

Favorite Dining Hall: Case, but only because of the location.

Have questions or submissions for this newsletter? Contact Jane Deacon (locket20@msu.edu).