On May 22nd 2026, The American University of Paris celebrated the 195 undergraduate and 56 graduate students of the 2026 graduating class, among whom 100 nationalities and 50 languages are represented. The annual Commencement Ceremony, held per tradition at the Théâtre du Châtelet in the heart of Paris, celebrated this diversity and capacity among AUP students to embrace the unknown and the foreign, but also reminded graduates of the responsibility bestowed upon them “decide what is free, just and humane, and to decide what kind of future we want to build together,” in the words of Provost Hannah Westley who gave the welcome address.
Following Westley’s introductory speech, Chair Doris Daughney took to the stage to present the following awards on behalf of the Board of Trustees:
- The Valedictorian Awards for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement, awarded to Melissa Cordaro (BA in Art History) and Julia Morgan (MAGC, Fashion Track) who both earned a GPA of 4.0.
- The Sin-Ming Shaw Award for an outstanding senior project, awarded to Maple Hughes for “Contested Stone: The Battle over Karl Lueger’s Legacy in Vienna” and to Catherine Samson for “Routes to Employment: An Econometric Analysis of Public Transport and Labour Market Access in Cape Town.”
- The Faculty Awards for Distinguished Teaching, given to Assistant Professor Sofia Valeonti (Department of Economics and Management); for Innovation in Interdisciplinary Design to Mariana Dias Paes; for Innovation in Instructional Design to Amanda Dennis and Biswamit Dwibedy for the creation and successful launch of the University’s new MFA in Creative Writing; and for Outstanding Research or Publication to Professor Miranda Spieler for her book Slaves in Paris: Hidden Lives and Fugitive Histories, published in 2025 by Harvard University Press.
Other notable awards, presented by President Sonya Stephens, included the following:
- The Barbara Reno Senior Prize for Excellence in Filmmaking, awarded to Isabela Sallaberry for “Camí y Los Coquís”
- The Danielle Savage Global Professional Skills Award, given to the graduating senior whose summative story of their academic and career-enabling journey at AUP was selected by a jury as “best in class,” given to Ella Thorne and Arianna Williams
- The Alumni Awards given to Homa Naficy (’80) and Boriša Falatar (’00)
As a new generation of AUP alumni prepares to embark on their chosen paths, President Stephens reminded them that education has equipped them with both tools and voice—a sentiment echoed by student speakers Diva Haider (undergraduate) and Leen Al Daqqaq (graduate), who spoke of education as a privilege not to be taken for granted.
The celebration of education and voice found further expression in the ceremony’s recognition of two writers who have spent their careers questioning the narratives we build with respect to identity and belonging: Ta-Nehisi Coates and Rachel Cusk, both awarded Honorary Degrees.
A recording of the ceremony livestream is available to the AUP community on the University’s website and YouTube channel.
