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Graduation season has officially arrived across U.S. college campuses, and with it comes one of the most anticipated traditions of the year: the commencement.
Caps and gowns, proud families, campus festivities, and one final message before students step into the next chapter of life. Every year, universities carefully select speakers whose stories reflect leadership, public impact, and values that they wish to project onto their graduating classes.
So who will address the Class of 2026 at the Ivy League this year?
So far, all eight Ivy League institutions have announced their featured speakers for the 2026 commencement season. The lineup is full of well-known names in a wide range of fields like entertainment, journalism, literature, education, and public service. From late-night comedy legends to bestselling immigrant storytellers, the chosen speakers each bring a unique perspective on success and growth.
Harvard University: A Return From Late-Night TV Royalty
Speaker: Conan O’Brien
Ceremony Date: May 28
Harvard is welcoming back one of its most beloved alumni: comedian and television host Conan O’Brien.
For many Americans, Conan is synonymous with late-night television. But before becoming a common household name, he started his career writing for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons, earning Emmy recognition for his contributions to both programs. In 1993, he launched Late Night with Conan O’Brien, beginning a nearly 30-year run in television comedy that would encompass multiple formats and networks.
But long before the talk shows and signature humor, Conan was a Harvard student who earned his degree in History and Literature in 1985. During his undergraduate years, he served two terms as president of The Harvard Lampoon, the university’s long-running satirical publication.
Throughout his career, he has maintained close ties with Harvard and has previously spoken at Harvard’s Class Day and virtual commencement events during the pandemic years. The multiple invitations to speak reflect Harvard’s recognition that intellectual rigor and creative work are not mutually exclusive.
Known for balancing humor with raw honesty, Conan often encourages students to embrace uncertainty, try new experiences, and not fear failure. His return as commencement speaker feels especially fitting for graduates entering an unpredictable world.
Princeton University: The Woman Who Turned Her Senior Thesis Into a National Movement
Speaker: Wendy Kopp
Event: Class Day, May 25
Princeton’s Class Day speaker this year is education reform leader Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach For America and co-founder of Teach for All.
What distinguishes Kopp’s trajectory is its origin. The original concept behind Teach For America was developed as her undergraduate thesis while studying Public and International Affairs at Princeton. Most students would treat their thesis as an academic exercise, but it’s completely different for Kopp, as she pursued its implementation directly after graduation. By 1990, Teach For America had launched its first cohort of corps members.
Since then, the organization has recruited more than 70,000 college graduates to teach in under-resourced K-12 schools across the United States. Kopp later co-founded Teach For All, a global education network now operating in more than 60 countries. This extends her initial model to educational systems facing comparable inequities abroad.
Over the years, she has received major recognition for her work in education and social impact, including the WISE Prize for Education and the Presidential Citizens Medal. She was also named one of TIME magazine’s most influential people.
Princeton’s decision to invite Wendy Kopp is a reflection of the university’s longstanding mission: “In the Nation’s Service and the Service of Humanity.” For graduating seniors, her example raises a direct and relevant question: how seriously do we treat the ideas we generate within academic settings, and what does it take to carry them beyond the institution?
Yale University: The Storyteller Behind Pachinko
Speaker: Min Jin Lee
Event: Class Day, May 17
Yale University has invited acclaimed Korean American novelist Min Jin Lee to address its 2026 graduating class.
Lee immigrated from Seoul to New York City with her family as a child and graduated from Yale in 1990 with a degree in history. What many students may find especially inspiring is her unconventional career path. After Yale, she attended Georgetown University Law Center and practiced as an attorney before eventually transitioning into writing full-time. That professional pivot, spanning nearly a decade, is itself a substantive part of her story.
She is best known for her bestselling novel Pachinko, a sweeping multigenerational story tracing the experiences of Korean immigrants in Japan across the twentieth century. The novel became a finalist for the National Book Award, was named one of The New York Times’ best books of the century and was later adapted into a successful Apple TV+ series. Her earlier novel, Free Food for Millionaires, similarly received considerable literary attention.
Yale commended Min Jin Lee for using literature to connect readers across different cultures, generations, and identities. Her invitation as the university’s commencement rights speaker acknowledges the way literature can serve as a vehicle for exploring structural questions of belonging and displacement. Her work resonates strongly with many graduating students navigating today’s increasingly global world.
Columbia University: A Lifetime in Journalism
Speaker: Sara Just
Event: Class Day, May 19
Columbia College invited Sara Just, senior executive producer at PBS News, as its Class Day speaker this year.
Sara Just graduated from Columbia in 1988 and began her journalism career on campus almost immediately. By her own account, one of the first things she did as a freshman student was head straight to the student newspaper office. She later became editor-in-chief of The Columbia Daily Spectator and remains involved with the publication in the present.
After graduation, she started her professional career at ABC News, where she spent 25 years in various roles. Earlier in that tenure, she worked on the long-running program Nightline, where she contributed to coverage of major national stories, including presidential elections and the O.J. Simpson case. She later joined PBS News in 2014 as senior executive producer, a position she continues to hold.
Over the course of her career, Just has earned 16 Emmy Awards and seven Peabody Awards, the latter being among the most prestigious recognitions in broadcast journalism..
For Columbia graduates entering a fast-moving media landscape shaped by information overload and rapid technological change, her perspective on what journalism requires and what it is for carries direct professional and societal relevance.
University of Pennsylvania: A Historian of Presidential Leadership
Speaker: Michael Beschloss
Event: Class Day, May 18
The University of Pennsylvania selected presidential historian Michael Beschloss as this year’s commencement speaker.
Beschloss is widely regarded as one of America’s leading experts on U.S. presidential history. He attended Phillips Academy Andover before studying political science at Williams College, where he graduated with highest honors. He subsequently completed an MBA at Harvard Business School. His scholarly output spans several decades and multiple books on the American presidency, including his 2018 New York Times bestseller Presidents of War, which examined how wartime decision-making shaped the institution and the country.
Today, he serves as presidential historian for NBC News and appears regularly on PBS News programs. Throughout his career, he has held research affiliations with esteemed institutions including the Smithsonian and Harvard.
Penn’s invitation to Beschloss during a period of global political uncertainty feels especially timely. His work consistently situates contemporary leadership challenges within longer historical patterns, fa perspective that may prove useful to graduates preparing to enter civic, political, or institutional roles.
Dartmouth College: From Improv Comedy to Broadway
Speaker: Rachel Dratch
Event: Class Day, June 14
Dartmouth College is bringing humor to commencement season as it welcomes actress and comedian Rachel Dratch as its 2026 speaker.
Best known for her years on Saturday Night Live from 1999 to 2006, Dratch performed alongside comedy stars including Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Jimmy Fallon.
Many viewers still remember her iconic “Debbie Downer” sketches, where her hilariously pessimistic character could instantly ruin any cheerful moment.
Dratch graduated from Dartmouth in 1988, where she was involved in the campus improv comedy scene. After college, she eventually pursued a career in television. Her career has extended into theater as well, where she received a Tony Award nomination for her work on Broadway.
That range, from collegiate improv to network television to live performance, reflects professional versatility that many students from this generation aspire also to attain.
University leaders expressed excitement about welcoming back the 1988 alumna, whose career will inspire students to not only pursue creativity but also adaptability and a willingness to go for unconventional paths.
Cornell University: The Sharp-Witted Star of Glee
Speaker: Jane Lynch
Event: Senior Convocation, May 21
Cornell University invited actress Jane Lynch to deliver the address at this year’s Senior Convocation.
Many audiences know Lynch from her Emmy-winning portrayal of Sue Sylvester in the Fox musical drama Glee, where she became famous for her sharp humor and unforgettable one-liners.
Graduating from Cornell University Class of 1984, Lynch has built a long career spanning across television, film, Broadway, and voice acting. Her other credits include Wreck-It Ralph, Julie & Julia, and multiple Broadway productions including Annie.
Cornell student organizers shared their interest in a speaker who could bring humor and natural energy to graduation weekend, and Lynch’s four decades in the industry following her Cornell graduation offer a reasonable basis for that case
Her presence is likely to make this year’s event one of the most entertaining commencement celebrations in the Ivy League.
Brown University: A Nontraditional Journey to Literary Success
Speaker: Xochitl Gonzalez
Ceremony Date: May 23
Brown University has invited bestselling author and columnist Xochitl Gonzalez to serve as its 2026 commencement speaker.
Gonzalez’s career is notable for its breadth and departures from conventional paths. She happily wears many hats: novelist, entrepreneur, journalist, and former wedding planner. Her debut novel, Olga Dies Dreaming, became a New York Times bestseller and was named as one of the year’s best books by TIME.
She also writes for The Atlantic and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for commentary.
What makes her story especially relatable is that her career path was far from linear. Raised by her grandparents in New York, Gonzalez became the first in her family to leave home for college. After graduating from Brown, she worked in marketing, event planning, consulting, and entrepreneurship before eventually pursuing an MFA at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, one of the most selective graduate writing programs in the country. Her work today engages closely with questions of class and ambition, as well as the pressure faced by first-generation strivers in American institutions.
Brown officials shared that Gonzalez hopes to speak with students about one guiding principle: curiosity.
In a world where career paths are becoming less predictable, her message about exploration and reinvention may resonate strongly with graduates still figuring out what comes next.
Connect with Ivy Talent
Although these commencement speakers come from very different industries, they share one important trait: before becoming leaders in their fields, they were once students facing uncertainty about the future.
That may be part of what makes commencement speeches so meaningful. They are not just celebrations of achievement. They are reminders that growth often comes through exploration, setbacks, reinvention, and persistence.
For the Class of 2026, these speeches will likely become memorable final lessons before stepping into a new chapter of adulthood.
We also want to congratulate all graduating seniors this year. Wherever your next step leads, we hope you move forward with confidence, curiosity, and the courage to keep building your own story.
If you are currently navigating the U.S. college admissions process and would like personalized guidance on strategy, positioning, or application planning, we welcome you to connect with our team. Contact us for a free consultation to help families better understand their options and build a clearer admissions roadmap.
