Emory University’s 181st Commencement marked the close of a chapter — and the start of an exciting new one — for the Class of 2026. Before they turned their tassels, they reflected on their time at Emory and how their experiences here will carry them into the rest of their lives.
On the value of community
While Candler School of Theology graduate Barbara Yankey loved her time in the classroom, she particularly valued her time in Cannon Chapel.
“This chapel, everyone comes to pray. Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Buddhist — it showed me a very different world,” said Yankey, who graduated with her master of divinity degree and a certificate in Episcopal and Anglican studies.
“And all of these people are looking for the same thing,” said Yankey, who was born in Ghana but has been a Georgia resident for more than a decade. “I got introduced to that my very first day.” Now that her days at Candler have ended, she will continue the process of earning her Episcopal ordination.
Caitlin Hubler and Mark Stone both graduated from the James T. Laney Graduate School with PhDs in religion. They are also the only two students from their cohort to specialize in research of the Hebrew Bible. They began and ended their Emory journeys together.
“We came in the same year, and we worked together and relied on each other for studying,” said Hubler, who is from Newport News, Virginia. “I couldn’t have done this without Mark.”
“I feel the same,” said Stone, who is from Seattle. “I’m so proud to graduate at the same time. It’s been quite a journey. It’s been six years, but we did it. “
“The mentorship was beyond what I could have dreamed,” Stone said.
“Emory really has a special culture in terms of collegiality and mentorship,” Hubler added, “and that’s why I credit my other students and the faculty for my success, because this is not a journey you can do alone.”
A strong foundation is crucial for incoming students.
It’s also where Brittany James found her niche. James, from Earlysville, Virginia, served as a student ambassador talking to incoming students at Rollins School for Public Health, where she found “the most fantastic mentors I will be carrying with me through the rest of my career.” James graduated with her master’s in public health, focused on environmental health and epidemiology.
“This is clearly not the easiest time to be in public health,” she said, “but it is such an important field. No matter what, there’s always work to be done.”
On seeing the big picture
When Julia Assefaeshete of Las Vegas began her college search, she looked for “schools that encompassed what I wanted for myself,” she said. “I was interested in nursing in a global or public health field. I also wanted a program that offered extended degrees, and Emory was one of the few schools that had everything I wanted.”
Emory’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing did indeed offer what Assefaeshete wanted. Now that she has completed her bachelor of science in nursing, she’ll move straight into the school’s doctor of nursing practice program. That will take another 2.5 years to complete, but in the end, she’ll begin her dream career as a nurse practitioner with a global health focus.
“It’s very humbling to be around smart people,” said Brandy Ndirangu, who graduated with her MD from the School of Medicine. “You can never know everything, so there are always new things to figure out.”
She will continue figuring things out during her interventional radiology residency at Emory. “Minimally invasive surgery is fascinating,” Ndirangu said. “I plan to have a dual practice someday in [my home country of] Kenya and in rural Georgia so I can have a global impact on people in under-resourced areas.”
Emilio Loret de Mola, from Stamford, Connecticut, said he chose Emory “for the community. When I visited two years ago, I immediately got this sense of a welcoming atmosphere with really great camaraderie, and that showed me: This is a place I need to be.” Loret de Mola graduated from Rollins with a master’s in public health, specializing in epidemiology.
His experience taught him to take a collaborative approach to learning and career advancement. “Lean on your peers and connect with them as much as possible,” he said, “because these are going to be the folks you’ll collaborate with for the rest of your career.”
On balancing school, life and work
Volleyball team members Kaya Monrose, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Olivia Rabinowitz from Tampa, Florida, both said they came to Emory thanks to its mix of award-winning athletics and academic rigor.
While both mentioned winning the University Athletic Association title with the team in 2024 as a top memory, one of their very first experiences as Eagles also topped the list.
“The Coke Toast during our first year is one of my favorite memories,” said Rabinowitz, who earned her bachelor’s from Emory College in psychology and will head to graduate school at the University of Miami in the fall. “We were sprinting after our pre-season morning practice and I remember doing the Coke Toast, then we were all in a circle dancing around afterward.”
“And we were all over the Emory Instagram the next morning,” added Monrose, who majored in data science and will stay in Atlanta while continuing her job search.
The balance of academics and social life is important regardless of what degree a student pursues.
For JD graduate Myracle Miller, Emory Law’s Black Law Student Association was a strong draw. “It’s a close-knit community and the alumni were always open to talking with students and helping us when we needed it,” said Miller, who grew up in Houston.
She cites the Student Bar Association’s Barrister Ball as one of the many fun events that counterbalanced the hard work of law school. “You get to dress up, it’s like being at high school prom again,” said Miller, who is starting her career by working in tax litigation and employment law for the state attorney general’s office in Austin, Texas.
Families of graduating students notice it, too, including Chris and Penny Saridakis who flew in from Wilmington, Delaware, to see their son Constantine (Dean) Saridakis receive his JD.
“We’re proud that he didn’t just work hard, but he thoroughly enjoyed law school,” Penny Saridakis said of her son, who will return to Wilmington to work in corporate litigation. “He loved the whole experience.”
He also helped others enjoy the experience through his musical talent. He joined the Emory Law rock band, Disorder in the Court, soon after arriving on campus and played bass guitar during school events. “It was the best, I had a lot of fun,” he said.
On celebrating with family
Hala Mansour, who graduated with a bachelor’s of business administration from Emory’s Goizueta Business School, plans to pursue a career in investment banking. Her concentration was in finance.
“I learned how to network, I learned how to conduct coffee chats, and I met so many Emory alumni through the Goizueta network. All of the faculty made sure we were always on the right path and making the best decisions for our career,” Mansour said of her time at Goizueta.
“This degree means everything to me,” said the Suwanee, Georgia, native. “I’m a first-generation college student, so my parents sacrificed their entire lives to see their kids walk across the stage, especially at such a prestigious university. I feel really proud and really grateful to my parents who worked so hard to live this moment.”
“If I see my mom, I know she’ll be crying — and I will start crying right after,” she added.
In fact, the weekend nearly saw an epidemic of joyful tears.
Traveling from St. Louis, Missouri, Melissa Kantrovitz was seated with her family to celebrate her daughter, Emily Kantrovitz, graduating from Emory College with a double major in political science and sociology. She was also a star player of the Emory women’s tennis team, an Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American in singles and doubles, and a University Athletic Association conference player of the year.
Melissa said she was looking forward to seeing her daughter walk across the stage — and that she’d “probably get a little emotional [seeing] all her hard work coming to fruition.”
“Emory has been a second home for Emily, from the professors to the coaches,” Melissa said. “She has just thrived and matured, and we’re so proud of and happy for her experience here.”
Interviews conducted by Daniel Christian, Carol Clark, Leigh DeLozier, Michelle Ricker and Kate Sweeney. Photo by Sarah Woods, Emory Photo/Video. Editing by Michelle Ricker.