Congratulations to the Class of 2026!
Published
May 28, 2026
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At the Departmental Commencement Celebration on May 27th, 2026, DUSP celebrated the achievements and accomplishments of the graduating class of 2026.
The commencement keynote speaker was Dean Nisha Botchwey of the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. After the commencement speeches, the following year-end awards were announced:
Departmental Awards
Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis: Diego Temkin, "Reimagining Urban Bus Operations: Using Category Theory to Create a Generalizable Framework for Bus Network Redesigns Incorporating Equitable Factors"
Flora Crockett Stephenson Writing Prize: Zoe Voss Lee, “Becoming Subtropical"
Robert Simha Prize: Becca Heilman, "From Neglect to Displacement: Housing Code Violations, Landlord Characteristics, and Eviction Filings in Cambridge, MA"
Outstanding MCP Thesis: Kaede Polkinghorne, "Bloodlines; or, backmapping a paid blood plasma donation from Houston, Texas"
Outstanding PhD Dissertation: Enjoli Dominique Hall, “Healing the Postindustrial City: Black Grassroots Organizing, Health Care and Urban Revitalization in Buffalo, 1960s-1970s"
APA Outstanding Student: Sophia Campbell
Rolf R. Engler Award for Outstanding Service: Lorena Tovar
DUSP Student Council Awards
Excellence in Teaching: Karilyn Crockett
Excellence in Teaching by a Teaching Assistant: Yutian He
Excellence in Advising: Mariana Arcaya
Staff or Faculty Contribution to Student Life: Ezra Haber Glenn and Holly Harriel
Frank Hebbert Award for Student Contribution to DUSP: Miquel Rossello Xamena and Deena Darby
To learn more about our graduates and their amazing work, see the DUSP 2025-26 Thesis and Dissertation Abstract booklet.
Congratulations to the entire 2025 graduating class!