Denmark Tech names Adkins valedictorian, O'Neal salutatorian for 2026 commencement

Deandre Adkins already teaches in a classroom, and Denmark Technical College has named him its 2026 valedictorian as he works toward a bachelor’s degree at Claflin University. Dominique O’Neal, who is completing an engineering associate degree and plans to continue at the University of South Carolina, was named salutatorian.

The honors put two very different but equally practical career paths at the center of Denmark Tech’s 77th annual commencement convocation, which will be held Saturday, May 2, 2026, at the William L. McDuffie Student Life Center on the college’s campus in Denmark. Check-in is scheduled for 8:00 a.m., the processional begins at 9:50 a.m., and each graduate or completer will receive four guest tickets.

Founded in 1947, Denmark Technical College is one of rural Bamberg County’s key public workforce pipelines. The two-year historically Black college serves more than 1,000 students and offers associate degree, diploma and certificate programs, along with a four-year college transfer pathway that helps students move into bachelor’s programs without leaving the region behind. For local schools and employers, that matters: one top graduate is already working as a teacher, while the other is moving from technical training into engineering studies.

College leaders have tied this year’s class to that broader mission of advancement. Eric Brown, Ph.D., said students are “built for what’s next,” a line that fits a campus where academic recognition has been building across the year. In April, O’Neal was inducted into the National Technical Honor Society and named vice president of the chapter. In the fall 2025 honors convocation, Denmark Tech recognized 56 students, and Adkins was among those invited into the Denmark Tech Honors College.

The college’s top academic honors also follow a recent pattern of student achievement. In the Class of 2025, Joshua Horn was named valedictorian and Ashlynn Watkins was salutatorian, showing how Denmark Tech’s commencement stage has become a recurring marker of strong academic performance across programs.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Woody McClain, a Charleston native known for his work as an actor, writer and producer. His presence adds another South Carolina connection to a ceremony that already reflects the college’s role in Bamberg County: preparing students not only for graduation, but for classrooms, factories, transfer campuses and the next rung of the state’s workforce.