Biomedical engineering student Ian Ortega to deliver 2026 undergraduate Commencement address

Ian Ortega, a senior studying biomedical engineering in the Opus College of Engineering, has been selected as the 2026 undergraduate student Commencement speaker.

Ortega has been actively involved in Engineers Without Borders, serving as a member, treasurer and project lead, where he worked with a multidisciplinary team to design and implement a water distribution system for communities in Guatemala. Through this work, Ortega has led collaborative design efforts focused on providing sustainable access to clean water while mentoring fellow students and emphasizing engineering as a means of service to others.

His academic experience has also included interdisciplinary coursework through the Accelerating Ingenuity in Markets program, where his interest in the intersection of technology, innovation and finance further shaped his undergraduate experience. He's additionally served as an intern at Collins Aerospace and GE Healthcare, a resident assistant in Carpenter Tower and a member of the Biomedical Engineering Society.

Marquette's 145th Commencement ceremonies will be held Saturday, May 9, at Fiserv Forum, located at 1111 Vel R. Phillips Ave., Milwaukee. The undergraduate ceremony will be at 1 p.m.; the Graduate School and Graduate School of Management ceremony will be later that day at 5 p.m. The School of Dentistry, Law School and College of Health Sciences' professional programs will hold separate ceremonies and will not be part of the Fiserv Forum ceremonies.

Guest tickets are required for entry into the undergraduate Commencement ceremony; all guests will need to provide a digital ticket. For easy access to digital tickets, download the Ticketmaster app. For more information on how to utilize digital ticketing, please reference the Marquette Digital Ticketing video.

More information is available on the Commencement website.