Briar Cliff hosts 95th commencement ceremony in Sioux City

“While today is about what comes next, I think it’s also worth taking a moment to look back at how we got here, and what we’ve learned along the way,” said Ryann Coughlin, president of Briar Cliff’s Student Body Government, in her commencement speech. “I know I would have laughed if someone told me I’d be walking the same halls as my parents, living just a few doors down from where they met. And yet, here we are. Sitting together, in matching outfits, carrying more with us than just a degree.”

A total of 190 students participated in the ceremony, including 169 May 2026 graduates and 21 students expected to complete their degrees in August or December 2026.

“Commencement is a celebration not only of academic achievement, but of resilience, growth, and purpose,” said Dr. Matthew Draud, president of Briar Cliff University. “Our graduates leave Briar Cliff prepared to lead with compassion, integrity, and service, and we are proud to welcome them into the next chapter of their lives.”

Candidates for Doctor of Nursing Practice degree

Karron Leigh Cohoon (Forest Lake, MN); Christopher Lee Jacobs (Sioux City, IA); Assumpta Ogbedeagu (Covington, GA); Krysta Lynn Prior (Yankton, SD)

Candidates for Doctor of Physical Therapy degree

Ashlynn Elisabeth Brant (Glidden, IA); Jordan Brolin (Sioux Falls, SD); Megan Jean Burghart (Burlington, CO); Kylea Ann Fehr (Terril, IA); Cade Steven Fuller (Dike, IA); Taylor Jo Grabowski (Cairo, NE); Caden William Ideker (Hartford, SD); Clifford William Johnson (Lake Andes, SD); Jami King (Klamath Falls, OR); Vanessa Angel Kotek (Faribault, MN); Evelina Krie (Hartington, NE); Alisha Marie Leber (Vermillion, SD); Emilee Leiting (Sioux City, IA); Nahum Noble Luse (Sioux City, IA); Heather Lynn Maier (Gayville, SD); Gabriella Brianna Faye Meyer (Wayne, NE); Olivia Jean Petersen (Harlan, IA); Zachary Douglas Reicks (Petersburg, NE); Mattilynn Reiner (Tripp, SD); Keegan Barnet Ruskamp (Wisner, NE); Tiana Lee Ikeisha Schroeder (Epiphany, SD); Clayton Shoemaker (North Loup, NE); Lydia Joy Sussner (Minneota, MN); Jacob Daniel Valdez (Sierra Vista, AZ); Tate Michael Van Beek (Irene, SD); Trey Sebastian Wodke (Cedar Rapids, IA); Tayler Nicole Wolfs (Oxford, IA)

Jacob P. Christianson (Glencoe, MN); Victoria Dawn Johnson (Carroll, IA); Amanda Kay Plathe (Milford, IA)

Liam Edward Tier Brandso (New Zealand); Cory Joseph Carignan (Arvada, CO); Connor Durdan (Grand Ridge, IL); Eric Enlow (Sioux City, IA); Cyler Melvin (Tea, SD); David Martin Jr (Wasco, CA); Mallie McNair (Imperial, NE); Jack Thomas Moehrke (Sioux City, IA); Yan Rosado (Sioux City, IA); Rafaela Oliveira Da Silva (Dois Córregos- São Paulo, Brazil); Brett Christopher Sitzmann (Sioux City, IA)

Jordan Lynn Bauer (Correctionville, IA); McKenzie Lynn Best (Sioux City, IA); Deynty Yudy Cruz (Sioux City, IA); Miranda C. Dingus (Sioux Falls, SD); Amber Emde (Omaha, NE); Nicole Lee Fisher (West Point, NE); Alexis Catherine Gatewood (Humboldt, IA); Paityn Karen Hagberg (Moville, IA); Tyler Hoogendoorn (Sioux City, IA); Stephanie Lynne Ienn (Sioux City, IA); Rachel Lynn Langel (Le Mars, IA); Clarissa Marie Leinbaugh (Spencer, IA); Catherine Elizabeth Leonard (Atlantic, IA); Heather Leah Martin (Storm Lake, IA); Kelsey Martinmaas (Sioux Falls, SD); Ashley Marie Mefferd (Clear Lake, IA); Abby P. Petersen (Moville, IA)

Filimaua Silotoa Afatia (American Samoa Pago Pago, AS), Elementary Education; Andrea Alcaraz (Sioux City, IA), Psychology, Behavior Analysis; Kaylee Angerman (Lawton, IA), Accounting, cum laude; Thavichakree Arunmala (Kathu/Phuket, Thailand), Business Administration; Jackson Drew Balmer (Everett, WA), Secondary Education; Avery Renee Beller (Sioux City, IA), Elementary Education; Phillip Benjamin (Moore, OK), Criminal Justice; Raymond Lane Boosinger (Castle Rock, CO), Accounting, Business Administration, magna cum laude; Keyuon Brinkman (Sioux City, IA), Business Administration; Addison L. Butler (Elk Point, SD), Elementary Education, summa cum laude; Karina Calles (Sioux City, IA), Business Administration, cum laude; Kyle John Capece (Omaha, NE), Business Administration, Sports Management, magna cum laude; Domenic Charles Ciani (Westminster, CO), K-12 Education: Physical Education; Ryann Lynn Coughlin (Clive, IA), Behavior Analysis, Psychology, summa cum laude; Brittany Ann Dawson (Blue Grass, IA), Accounting, summa cum laude; Baylee James Egan (Bellevue, NE), Sports Management, cum laude; Audrey Elena Evola (Alton, IL), History, Secondary Education, summa cum laude; Kael Wyatt Forsyth (Winterset, IA), Secondary Education; Addison R. Frisch (Kuna, ID), Business Administration; Jarrod L. Gilliam Jr. (Tulsa, OK), Accounting; Warrick Green Jr. (Nashville, TN), Sports Management; Maurice E. Handcox (Walla Walla, WA), Criminal Justice; Jaida Lee Hansen (Saint Cloud, MN), Psychology, summa cum laude; Emily Jean Harden (Winnebago, NE), Multidisciplinary, Psychology, Sociology; Maria Elizabeth Harris (Sioux City, IA), Behavior Analysis, Psychology; Kylie Alice Hart (Floodwood, MN), Accounting, Business Administration, summa cum laude; Jesse Hastings (Mount Vernon, SD), Multidisciplinary, Business Administration, Sports Management; Alexa Hurtado (South Sioux City, NE), Behavior Analysis, Psychology; Meredith Rose Illg (Emmetsburg, IA), Business Administration, Marketing; Alexander Johnson (Maidstone, England), Business Administration, International Business; Nathan Michael Karnes (South Sioux City, NE), Business Administration; Nora Anna Kastning (Elk Point, SD), Elementary Education, Secondary Education, summa cum laude; Je-Han King (Huntsville, AL), Business Administration, International Business; Perry J. King (Brookings, SD), History; Logan Nicholas Kraegel (Omaha, NE), Business Administration, Finance, cum laude; Kaylee Elizabeth Lafferty (Glendale, AZ), Business Administration, magna cum laude; James Alandies Lillard III (Sioux City, IA), History, Secondary Education, magna cum laude; Jessica Lopez-Walker (Sioux City, IA), Psychology; Annette Christine Lord (Sioux City, IA), History; Clayton Luett (Underwood, IA), K-12 Education: Physical Education; William Matthew Lugar (Cherokee, IA), Accounting, Finance; Alan Yahir Macias-Macias (South Sioux City, NE), Accounting; Ondine Manceau (Nantes, France), International Business, Business Administration; Cade Kenneth Marquardt (Litchfield, MN), Business Administration, Sports Management, cum laude; Carl-Andy Michel (Naples, FL), Business Administration, Marketing; Chayce Allen Montagne (North Sioux City, SD), Sports Management; John Lawrence Nelson (Mission Hill, SD), Business Administration, summa cum laude; Connor Neubeck (Marshall, MN), Business Administration, Marketing; Harrison Thomas Nissen (Kingsley, IA), magna cum laude; Oscar Perez (Sioux City, IA), Business Administration; Zakary Rachow (Chula Vista, CA), Business Administration, Marketing; Valeria Ramirez (Sioux City, IA), Business Administration; Jonathan William Reed (Fort Collins, CO), Sports Management; Colin Rhynalds (North Bend, NE), Business Administration; Danté Rigal (Johnson City, NY), Business Administration; Cole Stephen Ritchie (Sioux City, IA), Sports Management; Kellyn Rogers (Andover, KS), Sports Management, Marketing; Maria Russell (Remsen, IA), Elementary Education, cum laude; Emilio Salceda Espinosa (Puebla, Mexico), International Business, Marketing; Kylie Morgan Sanger (Windsor, CO), Elementary Education, summa cum laude; Jenna Rose Santos (Sioux City, IA), Accounting, Business Administration, summa cum laude; Kristen Michelle Santos (Sioux City, IA), Elementary Education, magna cum laude; Brock Saya (Johnstown, CO), Business Administration, Sports Management, summa cum laude; Damon L. Schmid (Kingsley, IA), Business Administration, Sports Management; Gordon James Seppala (Forestburg, SD), Business Administration; Gabriel Shepherd (Broken Arrow, OK), Accounting, Business Administration; Blake Sindelar (Howells, NE), Business Administration; Finlay Skilling (Bedford, England), Behavior Analysis, Psychology, summa cum laude; Justice Christian Weers (Neola, IA), K-12 Education: Physical Education, summa cum laude; Cayden Werner (Marshall, MN), Graphic Design, Mass Communications; Arya Jane West (Fremont, NE), Accounting, Business Administration; Amy Lynn Westhoff (Sioux City, IA), Business Administration, Marketing; Jalyn Suzann Yakey (Rockford, IL), Business Administration, International Business; Hailey Elexis Yon (Forest Grove, OR), Business Administration

Candidates for Bachelor of Science degree

Zakia Abdalla Adam (Sioux City, IA), Respiratory Therapy; Caitlin Rose Anderholm (Hermiston, OR), Environmental Science, cum laude; Kaleb Banez (Yuba City, CA), Human Performance and Management; Aliyah Basham (Exeland, WI), Biology, cum laude; Chelsey Ann Bieret (Wall Lake, IA), Kinesiology, summa cum laude; Chase Garner Lee Brown (Hughes Springs, TX), Human Performance; Wesley Brown (Council Bluffs, IA), Computer Science; Alfonso J. Díaz Borbón (San Jose, Costa Rica), Computer Science; Carleigh Alyceson Eurek (Kearney, NE), Radiologic Technology; Evan C. Fuchs (Lincoln, NE), Human Performance; Karis Celeen Gifford (Lincoln, NE), Radiologic Technology, summa cum laude; Madison Marie Goosmann (Merrill, IA), Environmental Science; Halbast K. Hariri (Covington, WA), Computer Science, Business Administration; Brandon Gregory Harris (Lu Verne, IA), Human Performance; Taylor Hofer (Port Orange, SD), Biology; Hannah Hoglund (St. Michael, MN), Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry; Sarah Eloise Jones (Frodsham, Cheshire, UK), Human Performance, magna cum laude; Kaydence Cheyenne Kinder (Suisun City, CA), Radiologic Technology; Jesse Kofi Koranteng (London, England), Computer Science; Brandon Kron (Lawton, IA), Computer Science; Kenadee Christine Loew (Carroll, IA), Kinesiology, summa cum laude; Timothy Grant Luse (Sioux City, IA), Biology, cum laude; Timothy McCarthy (Council Bluffs, IA), Human Performance and Management, Psychology; Lyndsey Marie McGowan (Missoula, MT), Human Performance; Raenan Ramiro Padilla (Patagonia, AZ), Kinesiology; Maximilliano Marcos Rascon Jr. (Stockton, CA), Kinesiology; Montgomerie Rose Richter (Spirit Lake, IA), Biology; Sydney Faye Robbins (Billings, MT), Biology; Carter Schorg (Remsen, IA), Computer Science; Jordyn Elizabeth Schulte (Westside, IA), Kinesiology; Olivia Jane Sorlie (Canton, SD), Kinesiology, summa cum laude; Caleb St Cyr (Omaha, NE), Kinesiology, summa cum laude; Malina Olivia Weerts (Santa Rosa, CA), Kinesiology, Behavior Analysis, Psychology, cum laude; Steven Christian Whiting II (Lodi, CA), Environmental Science, History, cum laude

Candidates for Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree

Johnny Michael Bauser (Lincoln, CA); Iwalani Pomaika’i Beltran (O’ahu, HI); Elyssa Kimberly Collins (Scribner, NE); Sydney Mckenna Ebel (Woodstock, Ontario), cum laude; Leanne Gaul (Hull, IA); Elizabeth Ann Greene (Omaha, NE); Jennifer Marie Guevara (Sioux City, IA), summa cum laude; Anne Catherine Hamm (Estherville, IA), summa cum laude; Mrs. Amy Lynn Johnson (Sioux City, IA), summa cum laude; Makenna Kleinhesselink (Sheldon, IA), cum laude; Christy Lynn Lee (Tea, SD), summa cum laude; Abby Ryann Matney (Ankeny, IA), summa cum laude; Lindsay Metcalf (Spencer, IA); Shawn Patrick O’Hern (Sioux City, IA); Barbara J. Parker (Ringsted, IA), magna cum laude; Brittni Necole Perry (Sioux City, IA), summa cum laude; Noah Christopher Porter (Sioux City, IA), summa cum laude; Brenna Rogers (Bronson, Iowa); Kerri Jean Ruby (Sioux City, IA); Victoria Rae Schneiders (Sioux City, IA); Kanoelani Kamakea Shadron (Clackamas, OR); Halle Marie Simons (Carroll, IA), summa cum laude; Isabella Maegan Smith (Mendon, MI); Vivian Nicole Walker (Red Oak, IA), summa cum laude; Sydney Grace Woods (Gretna, NE), magna cum laude; Ella An Zierott (Murdock, NE)