Morehouse College Announces 2025 Co-Valedictorians and Salutatorian for 141st Commencement Ceremony

Morehouse College announces its 2025 co-valedictorians, Colin Royal, Elijah Walker, and salutatorian, Myles Gosha. These exemplary students will be recognized during the College's 141st Commencement ceremony, scheduled for Sunday, May 18, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. on Century Campus. 

Co-valedictorian Colin Royal is a double major in English and journalism from Richmond, Va., and has demonstrated exceptional academic performance and leadership. He currently serves as editor-in-chief of The Maroon Tiger student newspaper while holding leadership positions in both Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and the Morehouse College Chapter of the NAACP. A consistent Dean’s List honoree, Royal has received Morehouse’s highest academic achievement award each year, is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and was named both a 2024 Nike Scholar and Jordan Journalism Scholar.

Royal has interned with Harvard Business Publishing, the Dow Jones HBCU Media Collective, HBCU All Stars LLC, and the UCSB AfroLatindades Institute. He reflects on his Morehouse journey by saying, "A Morehouse Man is not just someone who carries the torch of legacy, but someone who adds his own light to ensure its continued evolution." After graduation, he will pursue a master's degree in journalism at New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, aspiring to become an investigative journalist. 

Co-valedictorian Elijah Walker, a double major in English and Spanish from Las Vegas, Nev., has centered his education on global learning and cultural exploration. He has served as financial secretary of the Writing and Thinking Society and as a student representative on the English Department’s faculty hiring committee. A four-time recipient of the highest-ranking scholar award and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Walker has participated in four international study programs, including the Morehouse Pan-African Global Experience (MPAGE) in Colombia and Belize.

Walker noted, "The MPAGE trips broadened my perspective in ways I had never imagined. They brought my learning outside of the classroom and helped me build relationships that last to this day.” A legacy student, he follows in the footsteps of his father, uncles, and brother—all alumni of Morehouse College.

His honors include selection as a Goethe-Institut Transatlantic Outreach Scholar, a top scholar at Middlebury Language Schools, and a commencement speaker for Universidad Anáhuac México. Walker has interned with Mosaic Media Group, the National Education Equity Lab, and the AfroLatinidades Institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Following graduation, he will serve as a 2025 fellow with the Woodruff, Whitehead, and Evans Foundations at Emory University.

 Salutatorian Myles Gosha is a biology major with minors in psychology and environmental studies, and is a native of Atlanta, Ga. He has cultivated an extensive undergraduate research portfolio as a McNair Scholar and participant in both the Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative and the Undergraduate Health Sciences Academy. He is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Gosha credits his academic development to mentorship from Morehouse biology faculty. “Attending office hours and getting to know my professors was the most integral decision to my success at Morehouse,” he remarked. His academic achievements include receiving the Goldwater Scholarship, the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation Scholarship, and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. 

Gosha has conducted research on fruit bat behavior at Johns Hopkins University and fungal biology at Emory University. After graduation, he will pursue a Ph.D. in mycology at the University of Georgia, focusing on the role of fungi in human health, agriculture, and forestry.

Morehouse College's 141st Annual Commencement is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Sunday, May 18, on the College's Century Campus, where Dr. Cornel West will deliver the commencement address. For more information about Morehouse College, visit morehouse.edu.