Bridgewater College graduates encouraged to follow dreams despite uncertain job market

Bridgewater College held its 146th commencement ceremony on Saturday, with 315 undergraduate and 26 master’s students receiving degrees.

The graduates face a volatile job market, and economic experts don’t expect any improvements in the calendar year. The Weldon Cooper Center for Economic and Policy Studies predicts fewer jobs in Virginia with the unemployment rate likely to rise to 4.4 percent.

The center believes that the rate might rebound in 2027, but not necessarily due to more jobs. The experts believe that the rate might go down due to retirements and some federal employees moving out of state for other opportunities.

The quarterly economic forecast is based on Moody’s national projections and recent economic data.

The data suggests that there is continued growth is some segments of the workforce including health care services and construction.

Despite the challenges in the job market, the commencement speaker encouraged the graduates to follow their dreams.

Robert Newlen, acting librarian of Congress and 1975 graduate of Bridgewater College, encouraged graduates to find the things in life that bring them joy, to travel to unexpected destinations, to believe that their dreams can come true and to cultivate and treasure their friendships.

“When you suffer setbacks — big or small — always give yourself some grace,” Newlen said. “Learn from mistakes, move on and don’t linger on what you cannot change.”

Bridgewater College: The 2026 graduating class

• 146 earned bachelor of arts degrees
• 169 earned bachelor of science degrees
• 34 members of the class graduated summa cum laude—the top academic honor which requires students to achieve at least a 3.9 grade point average on a 4.0 scale.
• 38 graduates earned magna cum laude honors—a 3.7 or better average.
• 58 graduates earned cum laude honors, requiring a 3.4 grade point average
• Five students graduated with a master of arts in digital media strategy
• Three students graduated with a master of arts in nonprofit management
• Nine students graduated with a master of science in athletic training
• Nine students graduated with a master of science in human resource management