Brig. Gen. Middleton tells graduates to get a little better every day
Staff report
Brig. General Jacob Middleton, commander of U.S. Space Forces in Africa and Europe, told Augusta University spring 2026 graduates to never stop growing in his keynote address in Olmstead Hall at the Marriott Convention Center on Friday, May 8.
President Russell T. Keen presides over the undergraduate graduation ceremony at the Marriott Convention Center. (photo by Paula Toole/Augusta University)
“Hopefully, I’m better today than I was yesterday and better tomorrow than I am today,” said the 6-foot-7 Middleton, a native of Gainesville, Fla., who played forward for Clint Bryant’s Jaguar basketball team in the the late 1980s and early 1990s before graduating with a degree in psychology.
Middleton spoke highly of his time at AU.
“Age professors I had here went the extra mile to help mentor me,” Middleton said. “That mentoring was unsolicited. I wasn’t asking for any help at the time. But it was this mentoring where I was taught the first hard rule that we all need to understand: Life is not fair. You can complain about it, or you can do something about it.”
Middleton said that understanding was a turning point in his life.
“From that, I developed a personal model that I still live by today,” he said. “I personally strive to be better today than I was yesterday. I strive to be better tomorrow than I am today. I try not to worry about life not being fair to me. I try to focus on doing what is necessary to be fair to others. That is what I learned here.”
In addition to his AU degree in psychology, Middleton also has master’s degrees in organizational management, public administration, military strategy and national security strategy.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am to be with you to help celebrate today,” Middleton added.
AU had three commencements, two undergraduate ceremonies on May 8 and its graduate ceremony on May 7.
Emmanuel Faminu, who received his degree in computer science, was the undergraduate speaker on Friday morning and Alex Gonzalo (business administration) on Friday afternoon. The graduate student speaker was Mahogany Davis, who received her master’s in counselor education. Christine Crawford, a business executive and podcast (“Mistakes over Failures”) host from Aiken, S.C., was the keynote speaker for the graduate ceremony.
President Russell T. Keen presided in each session.
“As you leave this place, I hope that you carry forward not only what you have learned but how you will use it,” Keen told the graduates. “The knowledge and experiences you’ve gained here position you to make a real difference.”
The AU Registrar’s Office, led by Heather Metress, ran the ceremonies.
Brig. General Jacob Middleton, commander of U.S. Space Forces in Africa and Europe, gives the keynote address at Augusta University’s Spring 2026 Commencement at the Marriott Convention Center. Middleton graduated with a degree in psychology in 1991. At the top of the page, one of the many creative signs on top of a graduation cap. (photos by Paula Toole/Augusta University)
Graduating senior Nasrudin Mohamed with Augustus at the Spring 2026 Commencement ceremony at the Marriott Convention Center. Mohamed, an all-conference cross-country and track athlete, earned at B.S. in cybersecurity. (photo by Paula Toole/Augusta University)
