Celebrating Penn’s 270th Commencement at a historic moment

Clear, sunny skies greeted an eager Class of 2026 and cheerful audience of supporters on Monday, May 18, for Penn’s 270th Commencement at Franklin Field. Ahead of the ceremony, roughly 6,000 graduates wearing caps and vibrant regalia gathered at Penn Park to rejoice in their shared achievements and line up for the procession to Franklin Field.

One pair of graduates, Catherine Orchard, and Veronica Moore, both earning Master of Architecture degrees from the Weitzman School of Design, marked the occasion together. The two met during an open house event for admitted students where they followed each other on social media and have remained friends ever since.

Reaching this milestone holds meaning to both of their support systems. “No one in my family has a master’s [degree],” said Orchard, who is from Toledo, Ohio. “This is a big step for my family.”

“Both my grandfather and my dad graduated from Penn,” said Moore, who is from New Jersey, saying how exciting it feels to be part of her family’s legacy.

In his invocation, University Chaplain Charles “Chaz” Howard noted how students “studied, talked, researched, healed, served, led, performed, fought for change, competed, won championships and awards, laughed, cried, and found the courage to keep going during what historians will point to as a uniquely difficult moment in our world,” and reminded them they are not alone.

Faculty Senate Chair Roy H. Hamilton said that his presence on the Commencement stage is a testament to the transformative power of education: His father worked in a brewery to put him through school, his mother immigrated from Japan and worked as a seamstress before returning to school in midlife, and Hamilton became the first Black member of his family to attend college.

Building on a history older than the United States

Penn held its first Commencement 20 years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence—an event invoked at this year’s ceremony as the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary.

Penn President J. Larry Jameson noted that the day after the seven graduates of the Class of 1776 gathered for their Commencement, drafting began for the Declaration of Independence, and eight Penn affiliates would go on to sign the document. Penn founder Benjamin Franklin stylized the final form of the clause, “We hold these truths to be self-evident.”

Fittingly for this moment, the 2026 Commencement speaker was presidential historian, scholar, and author Michael Beschloss.

“I believe with all my heart that the job of an American historian every single day is to study and learn from both our successes and our disasters, and there are lots of both,” Beschloss said, invoking Franklin’s quote, “It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.”

He said this while naming six American traditions he believes are crucial to renew this year: the rule of law, free and fair elections, an honest and competent political system, citizen leadership, studying the past with sympathy and skepticism, and national unity.

Beschloss also shared a story of President Franklin D. Roosevelt falling at Franklin Field in 1936, just before accepting his second nomination for president. “When it happens that you’re disheartened or feel set back, straighten yourself up, dust yourself off, try to get back on your feet, but most of all, get moving again,” Beschloss told graduates.

Choosing arts, nature, and people

Jameson said to the sea of graduates, “I see intrepid learners who left home to explore a defining chapter in their lives. I see bold thinkers who experienced moments of doubt and discovery. I see amazing people who will change the world and make it better.”

As students step into a fast-changing world—with each day bringing new tools in computing, energy, robotics, and medicine—Jameson said the question of how we define a meaningful life has not changed. He offered three ideas: cherish the arts, embrace nature, and choose people.

“When you face a choice between isolation or in-person, choose people,” he said. “When you face a choice between scrolling or connecting, choose people.”

Nysa Dharan, a double major in economics and English literature in the College of Arts & Sciences from Alpharetta, Georgia, celebrated the day with Kirat Grewal, a double major in chemistry and French & Francophone Studies in the College from Massachusetts. Both mentioned how their parents and families were essential sources of support throughout their years at Penn.

“From day one, I feel like [my parents] knew my potential,” said Grewal. He also noted Penn faculty have been a supportive force during his college experience: “[Penn professors are] always pushing you to step out of your comfort zone and just look at things in a way you haven’t before.”

Dharan credits her parents, as well as her younger brother, a second-year at Penn, for supporting her along the way. For Dharan, being part of Penn’s 270th Commencement means joining a broader legacy of the University’s history and tradition. “270 years [is] a long time, but that means a lot of tradition, and it’s really a privilege to be a part of that.”

Honoring excellence

Following a tradition dating to the 1750s, Penn bestowed honorary degrees upon Beschloss and four others:

• Carolyn Bertozzi, a professor at Stanford University, a glycobiology scientist who invented bioorthogonal chemistry, co-founded 12 biotechnology companies, and earned the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

• James Corner, professor emeritus at Penn, a landscape architect who designed New York City’s High Line along with urban spaces from Philadelphia to London to Hong Kong.

• Claudia Goldin, a Harvard University professor who received the 2023 Nobel Prize in Economics “for having advanced our understanding of women’s labour market outcomes.”

• Ann Hobson Pilot, a harpist who spent four decades with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, becoming its first Black principal player.

Provost John L. Jackson, Jr. also recognized faculty who received teaching awards this year and students inducted into 10 honor societies.

The Penn experience: Powered by people

Allie de Asla, a double major in mathematics in the College and finance at the Wharton School from Basking Ridge, New Jersey, and Philip Nenov, a double major in mathematics and physics in the College from Fort Lauderdale, Florida befriended each other through Penn’s club track and field team, and studied math together.

For de Asla, support from her parents—both Wharton alumni—helped uplift her while at Penn. “My parents have always been very supportive,” she said.

Nenov mentioned that support from his older brother was key in enabling him to reach this milestone. “He’s 13 years older, so he’s always been there for me, like looking out [and] giving me life advice,” Nenov said.

Imani Nkrumah Ardayfio, earning a master’s in education policy in the Graduate School of Education, and from Washington, D.C., embraced the Commencement festivities with Rashmi Acharya, from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, graduating with a master’s in public health in the Perelman School of Medicine. The two are both 2025 College graduates who met five years ago on their first day of New Student Orientation. “It’s really nice for this to be the culmination of our time [at Penn],” said Ardayfio.

Acharya and Ardayfio are co-founders (in a team of three) of the nonprofit Nourish to Flourish, for which they received a President’s Engagement Prize in 2025.

They emphasized how meaningful it feels to join a global community of Penn graduates.

“When you think about the alumni network and joining thousands and thousands of people, that’s really special,” Ardayfio said.

Ebun Ajao, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in economics at Wharton from Houston, Texas, said a Penn education has empowered her to make a tangible impact on the world. “I really want to [build] some positive change,” she said.

Her mother, Tosin Ajao, said it’s exciting to see her child pursue her dreams. “We’re very satisfied with everything she’s achieved,” Tosin said.

Winston Lee, majoring in mechanical engineering and applied mechanics in the School of Engineering and Applied Science from Long Island, New York, posed for pictures and celebrated the afternoon with his family, including his mother, Cheryl Chen.

Over the weekend, Chen and Lee shared a full-circle mother-son moment that connected them to a memory at the beginning of Lee’s Penn experience four years ago. “I remember my mom dropping me off at the 34th Street Starbucks,” said Lee, noting how they took a photo there before he moved into his first-year dorm.

Chen shared that on Saturday, they took another photo at the same location to mark Lee’s journey at Penn and reflect on that moment together. “I’m feeling very grateful to be here,” said Chen.

“I give a lot of thanks to my parents, my mom, my stepdad,” said Lee, who plans to pursue an accelerated master’s in mechanical engineering at Penn. “They always give me words of encouragement and support me in any way possible—I know they always have my back.”

View the entire Commencement photo album on Flickr.