A special commencement issue, featuring the accomplishments of students and faculty.
COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY ROUND-UP
"Momentum doesn't wait for perfect. It responds to movement."
Dean Brian T. Edwards delivered a graduation address that blended heartfelt wisdom with internet nostalgia, humor, and perfectly timed memes. Bye Felicia!
Ali Vitali (SLA '12) Honored with SLA Distinguished Alumni Award
MS Now’s Ali Vitali returned to her alma mater to share wisdom from her own winding path to national political journalist, telling graduates she “walked through the best door open to me at the time, made the most of all the opportunities it gave me and then thought ‘What drives me most’ when I made my next choice.”
SLA Ceremony Features Talented Class of 2026 Poet and Musicians
Class Poet Kathryn Evans delivered an original poem highlighting New Orleans as a forever home and Hadley Magaziner performed an Ella Fitzgerald inspired version of "Always" by Irving Berlin, with musical accompaniment by pianist Paul Butts.
COMMENCEMENT AWARDS & SPOTLIGHTS
Professor Honored with 2026 University-wide Teaching Award
Kate Adams, associate professor and the inaugural Martha McCarty Kimmerling Chair in Women’s Literature, was selected for the 2026 Suzanne and Stephen Weiss Presidential Fellowship, the University’s highest honor, recognizing faculty with a sustained record of distinguished undergraduate teaching.
New Anthropology Grad Seeks to Understand Others Through Research and Service
Catarina Vazquez spent the past four years seeking to understand and be of service to others both inside and outside the classroom — whether they are alive now or lived more than 800 years ago.
Curiosity Drives Hullabaloo Editor-in-Chief's Dream of Becoming a Doctor
“I think the unifying theme in my education is a curiosity about the minds of other people,” said Ian Faul, who graduated with a dual degree in psychology and philosophy and a minor in French.
2026 Runsdorf Winner Pursues Service Through Civic Engagement
Dhehir Kelly, a dual major earning a BS in psychology as well as a BA in political science and sociology, complemented by a minor in strategy, leadership and analytics says: “I realized the school offered everything I wanted, and I should take the leap and do it because if I didn’t, I would always regret it. Now, it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.”
SLA Students Honored with 2026 Tulane 34 Awards
The Tulane 34 Awards are presented annually to some of Tulane University’s most outstanding graduates. Named to honor Tulane’s beginning in 1834, the prestigious award recognizes 34 students, from across all of the university’s schools, who exemplify Tulane values.
SLA Seniors Shine at 2026 Senior Awards Ceremony
During this award ceremony, graduating seniors are recognized for extraordinary achievements in academics, leadership, and public service through university-wide and department-specific honors.
SLA Seniors Inducted into Phi Beta Kappa
Founded in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest and most prestigious undergraduate honors society in the United States. At the end of each academic year, the chapter offers membership to a select number of graduating seniors. Membership is life-long.
Department of Anthropology Celebrates Banner Semester
Read about undergraduates and graduate students alike earning Tulane’s highest awards, PhD fellowships, faculty grants and more.
FACULTY ACCOLADES & NEWS
Prestigious Faculty Fellowships Span the Liberal Arts
From photography and poetry to climate research and modern art, SLA faculty are pursuing ambitious new projects with the support of prestigious fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and more.
What are Our Faculty Up to This Summer?
SLA Faculty will be busy this summer teaching, researching, conducting fieldwork, and gaining valuable knowledge at numerous conferences across the globe.
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