BRADFORD, Pa. – As they walked across the stage at Commencement Sunday afternoon, many members of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford Class of 2026 had already secured jobs or graduate school placements.

                The graduates hailed from 13 states and one U.S. territory. While some were headed directly into the workforce, others will pursue graduate degrees at schools that include the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State and Michigan State University.

                Marvellous Agbanusi, a biology major from Bradford, is one of two graduates headed to medical school. She will study at the American Canadian School of Medicine in Dominica, an island nation in the Caribbean. Cody Sturgeon, a biology major from Jackson Center, will attend medical school at Lake Erie College of Medicine in Erie.

                Other biology majors moving on in health professions include Raven King of Bradford, who is pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy at Chicago State University. Eden Wirtz, a biology major from Valencia, will enter a biomedical master’s program at Pitt, where Sam Wright, an exercise science major from Titusville, will begin a Doctor of Physical Therapy program, and Daniela Banuel Alarcon, a chemistry major from Jefferson, N.C., will pursue a Ph.D. in chemical engineering.

                December graduate Rachel Auman, a biology major from Kane, is attending veterinary school at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tenn. Another December graduate, Cassidy Elton, a chemistry major from Landenberg, is earning her Ph.D. in chemistry at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

                Despite a challenging job market for graduating college students this year, most students earning their nursing and engineering technology degrees at Pitt-Bradford had found jobs, with the reported starting salary of engineering students averaging $88,376.

                Students headed into the world of work include William “Billy” Clayson Jr., a computer information systems and technology major from Rixford, who will be a software developer at Cutco in Olean, N.Y.; Alexander Miller, a psychology major from Salamanca, N.Y., will be working at Beacon Light Behavioral Health and attending SUNY Fredonia to work on an MS in clinical mental health counseling; Genea Williamson, a nursing major from Bradford, will be a nurse at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh; Ray Worsen, a mechanical engineering technology major from Sharpsburg, Pa., has accepted a job as a project engineer at Sargent Electric Co. in Pittsburgh.

                Brenna Beshock, a business management major from Belleville, is headed to State College to be a banquet and event manager for Shaner Hotel Corp. Marcus Crowe, a computer information systems and technology major from Johnsonburg, will be a systems administrator at KOA Speer Electronics in Bradford; Rylie Duell, a radiological science major from Westfield, will be an imaging radiology technologist at UPMC Cole; Meghan Kendall, a nursing major from Darien Center, N.Y., will be a registered nurse at Rochester (N.Y.) Regional Health Unity Hospital; MacKenzie Miller, a communications major from Rixford, will be a human resources specialist for the YMCA of the Twin Tiers in Olean; Willow Sandusky of Brentwood, who earned degrees in environmental studies and environmental science, will be a field technician for Ecological Field Services in Erie; Erik Umarov, an accounting major from Bradford, will be a staff auditor for Pitt; Jacob Hoch, an environmental science major from Smethport, is going to be an environmental mapper for Minard Run Oil Co. in Bradford; and Jenna Louser, a criminal justice major from Allegany, N.Y., is going to be a probation officer in McKean County.

                Other students headed to graduate school include Shan Lin, a business management major from Hummelstown, master’s in human resources relations at Penn State; Jordan Bennett, a computer information systems and technology student from Carnegie, master’s in cybersecurity and digital forensics at Neumann University; and exercise science majors Riley Stowe of Avoca, N.Y., and Delaynie Moore and Alexis Gibbons, both from Olean, N.Y., are all headed to St. Bonaventure University to pursue a master’s degree in occupational therapy, where Alyssa Studley, a psychology major from Allegany, N.Y., will study to earn a master’s degree in counseling at St. Bonaventure.