{"id":247819,"date":"2026-05-29T15:34:36","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T15:34:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/247819\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T15:34:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T15:34:36","slug":"queens-college-celebrates-class-of-2026-at-102nd-commencement-qns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/247819\/","title":{"rendered":"Queens College celebrates Class of 2026 at 102nd commencement \u2013 QNS"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than 4,000 degree candidates were recognized Thursday during Queens College\u2019s<\/a> 102nd commencement<\/a> ceremony, where civic leaders, distinguished alumni and graduating students reflected on achievement, service and perseverance.<\/p>\n

Queens College President Frank H. Wu officiated the May 28 ceremony on the Flushing college\u2019s quadrangle before an estimated crowd of 7,000 attendees. In total, the college awarded approximately 4,300 undergraduate and graduate degrees to students graduating in summer and fall 2025 and winter, spring and summer 2026.<\/p>\n

\"QueensQueens College President Frank H. Wu officiated the ceremony on the Flushing college\u2019s quadrangle before an estimated crowd of 7,000 attendees.Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. received the Queens College Presidential Medal, the institution\u2019s highest administrative honor, and delivered the keynote address.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is an immense honor to be awarded the Queens College presidential medal, but it is an even higher honor to have the opportunity to address the incredible Queens College Class of 2026,\u201d Richards said.<\/p>\n

\"QueensQueens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. received the Queens College Presidential Medal, the institution\u2019s highest administrative honor, and delivered the keynote address.<\/p>\n

Richards, a lifelong southeast Queens resident, was recognized for his public service and support of education throughout the borough.<\/p>\n

Wu praised graduates for overcoming academic and personal challenges to earn their degrees.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cBe proud of what you have achieved and remember the sense of accomplishment you feel today,\u201d Wu said. \u201cCarry that feeling with you and let it motivate you as you pursue your future goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

The college also awarded honorary doctor of humane letters degrees to alumnae Marie Maynard Daly and Lucy Freeman Sandler.
\n\"CarlyCarly Reid with President Frank H. WuPhoto by Ramy Mahmoud\n<\/p>\n

Daly, who graduated from Queens College in 1942 and died in 2003, was honored posthumously as the first Black woman in the U.S. to earn a doctorate in chemistry. Her granddaughter, Carly Reid, accepted the degree on her behalf.<\/p>\n

\u201cScience and math are more than academic subjects,\u201d Reid said. \u201cThey are the ultimate tools for mobility.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Daly earned her doctorate from Columbia University in 1947 and became known for pioneering research on cholesterol, hypertension and protein synthesis. She also established scholarship programs supporting minority students pursuing science and medicine.<\/p>\n

\"LucyLucy Freeman Sandler with President Frank H. Wu.Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

Sandler, a 1951 Queens College graduate and professor emerita at New York University, was recognized for her scholarship in medieval European manuscript illumination. During a teaching career that spanned nearly four decades, she chaired NYU\u2019s Department of Fine Arts and authored several influential works on Gothic manuscripts and medieval art history.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I do hope is that you will use everything you have learned at Queens College for your own intellectual pleasure and profit, and that you will pass on the benefits of your experience to society at large,\u201d Sandler told graduates.<\/p>\n

Student speaker David Davydov, a Macaulay Honors College graduate who earned a combined bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degree in philosophy with a 4.0 GPA, addressed fellow graduates during the ceremony.<\/p>\n

\"StudentStudent commencement speaker David DavydovPhoto by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

Davydov, one of two recipients of the Paul Klapper Scholarship, will attend Columbia Law School in fall 2026. He urged graduates to remain ambitious and committed to building a better future.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday is an achievement,\u201d Davydov said. \u201cBut also, never forget that today is the foundation upon which tomorrow is built.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Other speakers included Assemblymember Khaleel Anderson, Council Member James Gennaro, CUNY Trustee Rossana Rosado and Student Association President Shawn Rajkumar.
\n\"MoreMore than 4,000 degree candidates were recognized on May 28 during Queens College\u2019s 102nd commencement ceremony.Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
\n\"MoreMore than 4,000 degree candidates were recognized on May 28 during Queens College\u2019s 102nd commencement ceremony.Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
\n\"MoreMore than 4,000 degree candidates were recognized on May 28 during Queens College\u2019s 102nd commencement ceremony.Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
\n\"MoreMore than 4,000 degree candidates were recognized on May 28 during Queens College\u2019s 102nd commencement ceremony.Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
\n\"MoreMore than 4,000 degree candidates were recognized on May 28 during Queens College\u2019s 102nd commencement ceremony.Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
\n\"MoreMore than 4,000 degree candidates were recognized on May 28 during Queens College\u2019s 102nd commencement ceremony.Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
\n\"MoreMore than 4,000 degree candidates were recognized on May 28 during Queens College\u2019s 102nd commencement ceremony.Photo by Ramy Mahmoud
\n\"MoreMore than 4,000 degree candidates were recognized on May 28 during Queens College\u2019s 102nd commencement ceremony.Photo by Ramy Mahmoud\n<\/p>\n

Queens College, founded in 1937 and located in Flushing, offers nearly 70 undergraduate majors and more than 100 graduate, certificate and honors programs. The college has been recognized nationally for academic value and affordability by publications including Princeton Review, Forbes and U.S. News & World Report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"More than 4,000 degree candidates were recognized Thursday during Queens College\u2019s 102nd commencement ceremony, where civic leaders, distinguished…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":247820,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[91851,96818,44771,96819,96820,9,24,63,752,122,19471,96821,96822,124,123],"class_list":["post-247819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-commencement","tag-david-davydov","tag-graduation","tag-lucy-freeman-sandler","tag-marie-maynard-daly","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens-college","tag-queens","tag-queens-borough-president-donovan-richards-jr","tag-queens-college-commencement","tag-queens-college-president-frank-h-wu","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247819\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}