Maryland Gov. Wes Moore ’96A, ’98C Delivers Address at 89th Annual Commencement Ceremony

Maryland Governor Wes Moore, a 1996 Valley Forge Military Academy and 1998 Valley Forge Military College alumnus, delivered the Commencement Address as VFMC hosted its 89th Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 9 in the Chapel of St. Cornelius the Centurion in a joint ceremony with Valley Forge Military Academy. 

“Courage, Honor, Conquer. That’s what this place taught us,” Gov. Moore said in his address. “That’s what’s going to carry you through for the rest of your days. That’s why this place is so special. And that’s why it will always serve as the foundation for each and every one of us.”

WATCH: Valley Forge Military College Commencement Address 2026 – Maryland Governor Wes Moore 96A, 98C

Forty-one College Cadets were recognized for completing the requirements for their associate degree or certificate as prescribed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Board of Trustees of Valley Forge Military College, including class Valedictorian Jace Greenamyer and class Salutatorian Rachel Torres.

“We’ve made it far but we are far from done,” Cadet Greenamyer said. “Take all the skills and lessons you have learned at Valley Forge Military College and apply them to everything you do. Once you step off this campus, you’re a different person than when you first stepped in. Be steadfast in your actions, be proud of who you are and, finally, for the 98th Corps of Cadets, always remember, ‘Hold the line.’”

WATCH: Valley Forge Military College Commencement 2026 

Moore graduated from the Academy in 1996 and earned his associate’s degree from Valley Forge Military College in 1998. Moore was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army after Valley Forge, through VFMC’s Army ROTC Early Commissioning Program. 

He entered Valley Forge Military Academy as a middle school cadet, continued through the College, and rose to the highest cadet leadership role as Regimental Commander. During Saturday’s ceremony he was introduced by 2025-26 Regimental Commander and First Captain Aiden Renfrow.

After his time at Valley Forge, Moore earned a bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and became the first Black Rhodes Scholar in the university’s history. As a Rhodes Scholar, he earned a master’s degree from Wolfson College, Oxford.  He deployed to Afghanistan as a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, served as a White House Fellow, authored best-selling books including The Other Wes Moore and Five Days, founded BridgeEdU, and later served as CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation.

Now serving as Maryland’s 63rd governor, Moore was sworn in on January 18, 2023, and made history as Maryland’s first Black governor in the state’s 246-year history.

In his speech, he pointed to the foundation of it all being forged during his time at Valley Forge.

“What makes this place so special was never the buildings, or the campus … It was the opportunity that it offered and the growth that it demanded,” Moore said. “It was reminding you that all throughout your life you’re going to see difficult, you’re going to see hard, and you’re going to see tough. That’s a given. How you respond to it is the assignment.”