Class of 2026 encouraged to maintain curiosity, decency amidst growing challenges

The Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs celebrated its Class of 2026 graduates May 18, 2026, awarding 37 Master in Public Policy (MPP) degrees and 14 Master of Advanced Study (MAS) degrees.

The day began with a procession to Yale’s Old Campus, where the University symbolically conferred degrees on all undergraduate and graduate students from the Class of 2026. Yale Jackson students Sofia Ginard Ramirez MPP ’26 and Sho Masuda MAS ’26 served as marshals, who play an honorary role in leading students on Commencement Day. Maxwell Zhu MPP ’26 served as the banner bearer for the Jackson School.

Upon return to Horchow Hall, Dean Jim Levinsohn welcomed graduates and guests to the school’s diploma ceremony. He shared a colleague’s assessment that the graduating class was “the most analytic and evidence-hungry” that the school has produced — humorously chronicling the students’ process of organizing a class trip prior to commencement, complete with preference aggregation framework and custom algorithms.

“I’ve seen how carefully you approach questions big and small,” said Levinsohn, “how seriously you take evidence, and how willing you are to change your minds when the data points somewhere you didn’t expect.”

“It makes me confident that you’re not just smart, but you are decent; you care about getting it right,” he added.

Celebrating cultural and ideological differences 

Cristina Mendoza Mora MPP ’26 was chosen by her classmates to deliver the graduate address. She spoke about her favorite Jackson tradition — potluck dinners — and how cooking food acts as a “love language” that welcomes others into your culture and shares a piece of yourself.

For Mendoza Mora, the dinners were a microcosm where we embrace and celebrate each other’s cultures and traditions.

“Throughout all of these memories — celebrating different cultures, traditions and religions — the thread has been curiosity,” she said. “Curiosity about our stories, where we come from and how we got here. Curiosity about our home countries and the biggest policy challenges they face. The kind of curiosity that feels earnest and real.”

She urged her classmates to sustain that curiosity outside of the insulated school community, where the challenges will be far more consequential and difficult to solve.

I’ve seen how carefully you approach questions big and small, how seriously you take evidence, and how willing you are to change your minds when the data points somewhere you didn’t expect.

“These two years sharpened our curiosity about policy. We learned to ask hard questions about systems, incentives, evidence, and design,” Mendoza Mora continued. “But the harder thing — the thing the classroom cannot fully teach — is staying just as curious about the people those policies will reach: their context, their stories, their ideas, and what they already know that we do not.”

During the ceremony, two students were recognized for outstanding academic achievement. Walid Herzallah MPP ’26 received the Award for Academic Excellence in Global Affairs, given to the master’s student in Global Affairs with the highest academic achievement. Apoorva Baheti MPP/MBA ’26 received the Miguel Ferreyros Memorial Award, which is awarded to the joint-degree student in Global Affairs with the highest academic achievement.

The day ended with a luncheon at Horchow Hall with Jackson graduates and their families.

The Jackson School also congratulates its Class of 2026 undergraduate Global Affairs majors, who received their diplomas in separate ceremonies at Yale’s 14 residential colleges.