Introducing the 2026 Harvard Griffin GSAS Commencement Marshals!
Each spring, the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS) celebrates one of its most enduring and honored traditions: the selection of Commencement marshals. Nominated by fellow students, graduate program administrators, and faculty, then selected by the Harvard Griffin GSAS Student Council, the marshals embody the leadership, service, and scholarly excellence that define our community.
The 2026 Commencement marshals will play a vital role in Harvard’s graduation ceremonies. On the morning of Commencement, they will join the School’s deans in organizing the academic procession from the lawns at Richards Hall to historic Harvard Yard. At the front of the procession, they will carry the Harvard Griffin GSAS gonfalon—a ceremonial banner representing the School’s legacy—as they lead their peers into Tercentenary Theatre.
Being named a Commencement marshal is a significant honor and a symbol of the high regard in which these students are held by the Harvard Griffin GSAS community. The 2026 Commencement marshals representing the doctor of philosophy are:
- Sudarshana Chanda, History
- Joe Currie, Study of Religion
- José Del Río Pantoja, Chemical Biology
- Kiwi (Mary H.C.) Florido, Biological Sciences in Public Health
- Zachary Lim, Education
- Ifeosa Anwulika Nkem-Onyekpe, History
- Vaishnavi Patil, History of Art and Architecture
- Lawson Ung, Population Health Sciences
The 2026 Commencement marshal representing graduates with a master of arts, master of science, and master of engineering is Tejaswi Polimetla, SM, Applied Computation.
Please join us in congratulating the 2026 marshals!
