President’s Commencement Remarks

Sunday, May 24, 2026
by Elizabeth H. Bradley, President

To the Class of 2026, you made it!

Welcome to the family and friends here on the hill or watching the ceremony from another location. We are so happy to join together in celebration of these 623 students and all they have accomplished.

Even as I have now been through decades and decades of graduations, I have to say it never gets old. Each year is unique and brings an energy that is all its own.

I want to note a couple of distinctive things about you all. You are the class that had to tour or visit colleges when you were figuring out what you were going to do with your lives when we weren’t really allowed to have campuses open. Due to COVID, most campuses were locked but Vassar’s was open. But I think you had to stay in your car. I’m curious, how many of you saw the campus for the first time from a car window? Did any of you see the campus before you got here?

So there is in you, born of that, an aptitude for risk, perhaps even some faith that you just have to leap even without knowing if the landing is totally suitable. And despite that, you have flourished on this campus. Asked what your class is known for, many reflect on your tremendous friendliness. I remember Mariya Novosad, the president of the Vassar Student Association, encapsulated that idea during Convocation. She highlighted how much this class looks out for each other and accepts each other with friendship and care. Thank you, Mariya, for your leadership this year.

Also noted is this class’s athletic prowess. I think you’ve had 11 conference championship teams and two national championship teams during your four years here. Your artistic and comedic creativity—the drama, film, music, sculpture, poetry, and artistic programming of all kinds through the Loeb, the Powerhouse, the Shiva and otherwise–this has all really helped our community express and live through a globally challenging time that has occupied all four of your college years.

And, you are a passionate group. You care deeply—not only about each other but about the community, our nation, and our globe; 42 percent of you engaged with community-engaged learning—either in Poughkeepsie, through a course, work study, community service, or right here on campus. And 81 percent of the student body in the 2024 presidential election voted. A lot of that was due to your class as seniors and juniors leading Vassar Votes efforts, so people could really understand their voting rights.

This day of endings and of beginnings is bittersweet. When you return to campus, it will still be your college because it’s yours for a lifetime, but it will be different. It will be part of your history, not your present as it is in this very moment.

So, let us pause, look around, notice the tall trees, the simple blades of grass, the still gentle rain, and nature all around us that has accompanied more than 160 earlier classes of Vassar students through their college journey. And as we enter into this beautiful moment of Commencement together, let us be infused with gratitude for all we have shared and all that the Vassar education will bring to you and your future.

Congratulations, Class of 2026!