‘I’ve enjoyed every moment’: A heartfelt, celebratory sendoff for Yale’s Class of 2026

As a joyous parade of soon-to-be graduates snaked toward Yale’s Old Campus, where family and friends awaited the formal start of Commencement on the storied grounds, Adam Walker took a moment to soak it all in. 

“I’m really excited to see all my hard work come together in these final moments,” said Walker, a graduating Yale College senior from Long Island, who marched alongside his Branford classmates on Monday.

Along pathways and sidewalks and streets, the sounds of bagpipes, chimes, and church bells mingled with cheering well-wishers as the graduates proceeded from every corner of campus, representing every undergraduate residential college and all the professional and graduate schools.

Yale Law School student Victor Agbafe had begun the day in prayer. As the ceremony approached, he swelled with a feeling of gratitude. 

“I got on my knees this morning and prayed and gave thanks for all the transformational moments through which I learned so much here,” he said as he walked along Grove Street with his classmates. “I am so grateful.”

Once all of this year’s graduates filed into their seats, Yale’s 325th annual Commencement ceremony began in earnest.

“We gather to recognize the extraordinary accomplishments all of you worked so hard to complete,” said Yale President Maurie McInnis, who welcomed the Class of 2026 as raucous applause broke out.

In all, Yale conferred nearly 4,500 degrees Monday — including more than 1,400 undergraduate degrees — to students from Yale College, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and Yale’s 13 professional schools. (At Yale’s first commencement, in 1702, there was one graduate; at its first commencement in New Haven, in 1717, there were five.)

One by one, deans from the respective graduate and professional schools presented degree candidates to McInnis for the conferral of degrees. Students shared high fives, waved colorful streamers, shook celebratory cowbells, and blew sparking soap bubbles into the sky. Peels of applause rang out as the sun reached its zenith.

As has become customary, the awarding of Yale School of Nursing (YSN) degrees prompted a particularly raucous cheer — along with a burst of colorful confetti.

For Rachel Hudec, a YSN graduate who served as the school’s student marshal, commencement day represented a “double victory.” On top of earning her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, she had also overcome a challenging fertility journey amid her studies.

“To finally hold my son on graduation day is a deep source of pride,” she said. “I’m not just setting a professional standard. I’m showing him that, through resilience, he too can reach these heights.”

Eunice Osei-Mensah, a Ghana native and graduate of the Yale School of Public Health, also had children in tow for the celebration: her 5-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter, who were accompanied by family members who’d traveled from Ghana to join the weekend celebration.

“I’ve enjoyed every moment of time at Yale,” said Osei-Mensah, who received an Advanced Professional Master of Public Health degree. “I hope my kids get to come back and experience this, too.”

Among the throngs of supporters present Monday, Kathy DeLuna waved oversized face posters of her son Andrew, a Psychology major in Grace Hopper College. 

“I’m really proud of him,” said DeLuna, who’d traveled from San Antonio, Texas, for the occasion. “This was his dream, and he accomplished it.”

Then, university leaders presented honorary degrees to eight individuals who, in McInnis’ words, embody such aspirational “elements of human character”: creativity, curiosity, discipline, integrity, and a passion for public service.

“Their presence here also honors you who graduate today, and all of us who are here to salute you,” McInnis told the graduates. 

This year’s honorees were Kwame Anthony Appiah, a philosopher, cultural historian, and author of The New York Times Magazine’s Ethicist column; Emery N. Brown, a world-renowned statistician, anesthesiologist, and neuroscientist; Olympian Katie Ledecky, the most decorated woman swimmer in history; Ingrid Mattson, a Muslim scholar and interfaith leader; Lynn Nottage ’89 M.F.A., an American playwright and screenwriter who is the only woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice; Robert D. Putnam ’70 Ph.D., a political scientist and author; Kurt Schmoke ’71, a pioneering lawyer, educator, and civil servant; and JoAnne Stubbe, an eminent chemist. (See related story to read their citations.) 

Two traditional Yale Commencement hymns rounded out the ceremony, followed by a benediction from Gregory Sterling, The Reverend Henry L. Slack Dean of Yale Divinity School.

Fredrik Fosser, a graduating senior from Hærland, Norway, who carried the banner for Trumbull College, reflected on how much his life had changed during four years at Yale.

“Not only have the academics been amazing, but the friendships and memories I’ve made are invaluable,” said Fosser, who had 10 family members and friends travel from Norway for the celebration. “There are no words in either English or Norwegian to describe how grateful I am for Yale and its people.”

Zachary Jacobus, from Fort Worth, Texas, who carried the banner for his residential college, Davenport, shared the sentiment. “Yale has impacted my values and the way I view the world,” he said. “It’s come through great professors and, even more, from friends who’ve challenged me to be a better and more thoughtful person.” 

Meg Dalton contributed to this report.