DALLAS – May 1, 2026 – Paul Quinn College, the creator of the Urban Work College model and the only minority-serving, federally recognized work college in America, announces Texas State Representative James Talarico will deliver the commencement address at the institution’s 2026 graduation ceremony.
“We are in the midst of historically significant times,” said Dr. Michael J. Sorrell, President of Paul Quinn College. “Acknowledging this reality, we felt that it was particularly important that we present a commencement speaker to our community who can speak to this moment in time. Representative Talarico more than possesses the ability to do so. He has chosen a life of purpose, conviction, service, and sacrifice. He understands that real leadership requires the willingness to speak the uncomfortable truths to the audiences who need to hear them. Saturday will be a special day.”
Talarico represents District 50 in the Texas House of Representatives and is currently a candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas. He is an eighth-generation Texan, former middle school teacher, and Presbyterian seminarian. As a four-term state representative, Talarico has passed legislation to establish the first-ever cap on pre-K class sizes in Texas, improve the quality and affordability of childcare, dramatically reduce prescription drug costs, and give incarcerated minors the opportunity to graduate with a high school diploma.
“I am deeply honored to join Paul Quinn College in celebrating the Class of 2026,” said Talarico. “Paul Quinn’s commitment to developing students who lead with purpose, serve with conviction, and work for the common good is both inspiring and urgently needed. I look forward to honoring these graduates and encouraging them as they begin the next chapter of their lives.”
Talarico holds a bachelor’s degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Education in education policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Laura Nieto, Managing Director of Community Engagement and Partnerships at Southwest Airlines, Paul Quinn College’s official airline and Corporate Work Program partner, will address the graduating class and surprise all graduating seniors with a special gift. Paul Quinn College will also confer honorary doctoral degrees on three distinguished leaders whose lives reflect the College’s commitment to faith, service, and educational opportunity.
Reverend Carolyn Elizabeth Irvin Brailsford is an ordained Itinerant Elder and Episcopal Supervisor in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and an internationally recognized vocal artist and sacred-music leader whose ministry has carried her across the United States, Africa, and the Caribbean. She founded the CaBrailSong School of Vocal Arts in 1992 and has championed global education initiatives including Sarah’s Scholars, which supports students in Malawi and Zimbabwe.
Andy Halpern is an attorney, nonprofit executive, and longtime champion of service-driven education whose four-decade career has strengthened mission-driven institutions advancing health, education, and human dignity around the world. Founder of Halpern & Associates and former General Counsel of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, he co-founded the Duke–Paul Quinn Mentor Program and has been recognized with the College’s President’s Award for his sustained commitment to student mentorship.
Kyrie Irving is an American professional basketball player, entrepreneur, and cultural leader widely regarded as one of the most gifted ball-handlers and scorers in NBA history. An NBA champion, Olympic gold medalist, and current member of the Dallas Mavericks, Irving has built a career defined by creativity, excellence, and impact on and off the court. Through his partnership with ANTA Basketball, he is supporting Paul Quinn College’s student-athletes by outfitting the men’s and women’s basketball teams with new shoes and apparel for the next three years, underscoring his commitment to opportunity, excellence, and community.
Paul Quinn College’s commencement will take place on Saturday, May 2, at noon in the Richard Allen Chapel on campus.
Media wishing to cover the event should contact Anthea Danby at anthea@minervaco.com or 214-205-8062 to receive credentials and on-site logistics.
ABOUT PAUL QUINN COLLEGE
Paul Quinn College is a private, faith-based, four-year, liberal arts-inspired college that was founded in 1872, by a group of African Methodist Episcopal Church preachers in Austin, Texas. The school’s original purpose was to educate freed slaves and their offspring. Today, Paul Quinn proudly educates students of all races and socio-economic classes under the banner of its institutional ethos, WE over Me. It is the first Urban Work College and only minority-serving, federally-recognized work college in America. Paul Quinn is viewed as one of the most innovative colleges in America, one that continuously expands the boundaries of higher education and community advocacy in its quest to eradicate intergenerational poverty. For more information, visit www.paulquinn.edu.
Coach Keldrick McKinney is a native of Dallas, Texas who enters his third year as the Head Track and Field/Cross Country Coach at Paul Quinn College. After serving one year as Associate Head Coach under the leadership of Coach Maurice West; Coach McKinney was given the opportunity by Paul Quinn’s legendary Athletic Director James “Zip” Summers.
The program has quickly grown from 3 to now 25 student athletes under the leadership of Coach McKinney. In the second year of competing at the Red River Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships, the Paul Quinn Tigers placed two athletes in the Top 10.
Coach McKinney received his bachelor’s in Kinesiology from Prairie View A&M University. After graduation he then opened a training facility where he trained hundreds of athletes. This provided the background and experience for Coach to thrive at the next level. Coach McKinney’s student-athletes not only excel on the track but also in the classroom as well. Coach McKinney’s team maintains over a 3.0 gpa.
Coach Michael Delgado has been coaching at the collegiate level since 2009. He began his coaching career at Howard Payne University, shortly after starting his time there as a collegiate soccer player. He began as a student coach and after graduating with a degree in Spanish Education, became an assistant.
In 2015, Coach Delgado moved back to Dallas to form the Men’s and Women’s Soccer program at Paul Quinn College as the assistant coach and became the head coach of the Women’s team in 2017. From 2015-2021 he was also the Men’s assistant coach.
In 2021, Coach Delgado took over the Men’s program and led the team as the #3 seed (highest in school history) to the USCAA National Championship for the 3rd year in a row, with a 3rd place finish.
Coach Delgado is a Dallas native and graduated from Mesquite Poteet High School as a district MVP & All-State. He holds his Master’s degree from Concordia University in Coaching & Athletic Administration. He resides in the campus neighborhood of Highland Hills and lives daily by his motto, #AlwaysRefuse2Lose.
Brandon Espinosa starts his fourth season as Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Paul Quinn College.
Last season, Coach Espinosa and the Tigers had a historic 19 game turnaround from the previous year going from 7-25 to 26-2 (12-2 RRAC). Coach Espinosa led the 2021-2022 Tigers to the school’s first USCAA Men’s Division I National Championship and the 3rd overall national championship in school history. The Tigers also won the Red River Athletic Conference West (RRAC) regular season title for the first time since joining the conference in 1998. The Tigers finished the 2021-2022 season with the most RRAC wins and highest winning percentage in a season in program history.
The Tigers were the No. 1 seed at USCAA Nationals and had a dominant showing with 3 double digits wins. The championship game featured seven ties and ten lead changes. After trailing by four at half, 38-34, Bryant & Stratton led 67-65 with 6:33 left in the game. Henry Hampton hit a jumper a minute later to give Paul Quinn the lead to highlight a 10-0 run to seal the victory for the Tigers. Ja’Mare Redus led PQC with 18 points while Hampton finished with 17. Spencer McElway added 12, Ja’Mere Redus came off the bench and scored 11, and Steven Tynes chipped in seven points and nine assists.
While the team’s collective efforts were the deciding factor in their success, several outstanding individuals led them both on and off the court. Coach Brandon Espinosa was recognized as the USCAA National Coach of the Year. In addition, senior forward Spencer McElway was selected as a USCAA 1st Team All American, USCAA All Tournament Team and RRAC 2nd Team All Conference. Sophomore forward Trevoin Shaw was voted USCAA 1st Team All American, USCAA All Tournament Team and RRAC 1st Team All Conference. Sophomore guard Ja’mare Redus received USCAA Tournament MVP as well as USCAA 2nd Team All American Honors. Sophomore guard Torron Mingo Jr. earned the USCAA Academic All American award. Junior guard Caleb Thompson received the RRAC Champions of Character award.
During his first season with Paul Quinn, Espinosa led the Tigers to the most conference victories since 2012-2013. In addition, PQC had two players receive RRAC All Conference honors; Spencer McElway was 1st Team All RRAC and Mateo Escheik received 2nd Team All RRAC honors. McElway also joined the schools 1000-point club.
Espinosa also serves as the Director of EYBL and 17U Head Coach for Drive Nation which was founded by former NBA All-Star Jermaine O’Neal. This summer Drive Nation qualified for the 2021 Nike Peach Jam and currently has the most ESPN Top 100 ranked players in the country.
Espinosa has held coaching positions at Bossier Parish Community College, Ranger College and with the Dallas Mavericks NBA G-League affiliate, Texas Legends.
Espinosa is a native of Houston, Texas. He played collegiately for Dallas Christian College, where in 2010 they won the ACCA National Championship. Espinosa earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 2011.
Paul Quinn did not compete in 2020-2021 due to Covid-19.
Camille Smith is in her first season at Paul Quinn College.
Smith was hired in early March and her most recent position was as an Assistant Coach for the WNBA Dallas Wings.
Prior to coaching, Smith played professionally for 10 seasons internationally and 12 seasons in the WNBA before retiring in 2019. Smith was drafted to the San Antonio Silver Stars in the 2007 WNBA Draft as the 17th Overall pick. Amid the start of the 2008 WNBA season, Smith was selected in the Atlanta Dream dispersal draft before being traded to the Seattle Storm where Smith played and won a championship in 2010! In 2015 Smith was traded to the Connecticut Sun, then to the Phoenix Mercury in 2017, where she finished her career.
Internationally, Smith played on multiple teams in Israel (2015 Israel League Champion) and China. She also played in Turkey, Limassol, Cyrpus, Ragusa, Sicily (2016 Cup Champion), Lebanon (2017 Arab Cup Champion), Montpelier, France, and Venice, Italy (2018 Euro Cup runner-up).
As a former student-athlete at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Camille graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in interpersonal communications. A four-time All-ACC selection, she finished her college career with over 1,700 points, 800 rebounds, 250 assists, and 250 steals. As a senior, Camille averaged 13.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game along with 99 steals to help the Tar Heels reach the Final Four. Camille is ranked among the top 20 all-time scorers at UNC and was named Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press following her junior year. She averaged 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds as a junior. As a sophomore, Camille averaged 13.3 points and 8.0 rebounds in the ACC tournament, including a 23-point game against Duke in the finals. In 2004, she was named ACC Rookie of the Year and was the only freshman selected as a finalist for Kodak All-American honor. Camille became the first Tar Heel to be named first-team All-ACC as a freshman.
In high school, Camille was named Associated Press NC Player of the Year and NC Miss Basketball (Class 3A; 2003). Camille was also awarded State Player of the Year by the Charlotte Observer and NC Gatorade Player of the Year (2002 and 2003). In 2001, Camille shared AP Player of the Year honors at Carver High School and helped her team finish with a 30-0 record and State Championship. Camille is a three-time All-State Selection and averaged 20.2 points and 11.1 rebounds per game during her senior year. She holds the record of 2,168 career points during her high school career, was a McDonald’s High School All-American, and played in the 2002 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival. Camille was also named Piedmont Triad All-Conference, four years in a row, and Piedmont Triad Conference Player of the Year, three years in a row.
Camille Smith & her husband Jeremis Smith are happily married & live in the Historical Stop 6 Community.
Coach Patrick Gonzalez is a native of Fort Worth, Texas. He has a Bachelor of Science in Sociology with emphasis in Criminal Justice from Texas Wesleyan University. He also has a M.Ed. in Sports Administration from Concordia University in Austin, Texas. He has coached volleyball for over thirteen years. He has coached on the high school, club, and collegiate level.
He currently coaches for 360 Volleyball Club in Arlington, Texas. Coach Gonzalez brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Paul Quinn College volleyball program. He served as the women’s assistant volleyball coach at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee for five seasons. While at Fisk University, Coach Gonzalez served as an Admissions Counselor and Director of International Student Services in the Office of Student Engagement. He has also worked at Howard University in Washington, D.C. and served as the Associate Director of Minority Outreach in the Office of Admissions. He most recently was selected into the Big XII Reach & Teach Volleyball Diversity Program.