When Achante Pascute stepped to the podium as Kent State University at Trumbull’s student commencement speaker, she opened with a joke.“I stand before you as a first-generation student, a woman of color and a non-traditional graduate,” she told the Class of 2026, pausing before delivering the punchline: “Which is just a polite, academic way of saying … ‘old.’”The audience laughed, but her story is one of determination, sacrifice and extraordinary resilience....

KENT, Ohio – Kent State University’s School of Art will present a series of free public artist lectures along with an exhibition as part of the 2026 Kent Blossom Art Intensives. The events will connect students, artists and community members with nationally recognized visiting artists working in ceramics, jewelry/metals/enameling, painting, print media and photography, and sculpture and expanded media. Each year, the Kent Blossom Art Intensives bring visiting artists to campus to work closely with students while also engaging the broader community through public programs. The free lecture...

When Achante Pascute stepped to the podium as Kent State University at Trumbull’s student commencement speaker, she opened with a joke.“I stand before you as a first-generation student, a woman of color and a non-traditional graduate,” she told the Class of 2026, pausing before delivering the punchline: “Which is just a polite, academic way of saying … ‘old.’”The audience laughed, but her story is one of determination, sacrifice and extraordinary resilience.Pascute graduated Summa Cum Laude from Kent State Trumbull’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, earning honors designation and finish...