Bright Paths Ahead for the Class of 2026
As the class of 2026 rounds out their time on campus, they step out into the world, illuminating the way with the strength of their voices, ambitions, and their Bryn Mawr education.
From Bryn Mawr, Anywhere
Juliana Vair '26
"Bryn Mawr taught me how to use my love of learning to succeed. Whether through working on assignments between classes, discussions with my friends or classmates, or putting in the work at rowing practice, every day that I've been at Bryn Mawr has been an exercise in adaptation and growth. "
Miya Matsumune '26
"My time in the Energy Afterlives 360 Course Cluster in 2023 changed my life. It introduced me to professors, students, and theories that fundamentally influenced my outlook on the world. It informed my decision to double-major in Geology and History, and expanded my idea of what a college course could be."
Abigail Urban '26
Culinary School at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France.
"I am most excited to take my learning in a new direction, studying something much more physical, while still building on my background in sociology. While at Bryn Mawr, I have studied the sociology of culture and hope to develop my understanding of food as a cultural aspect, a tool for connection, and a symbol in my further studies. "
Senior Spotlights
Jean Valencia Nyambura Ngunjiri '26
"College isn’t where you magically figure everything out or map your whole life. Honestly, it’s where you meet a bunch of different versions of yourself, and learn to exist in all of them. So yeah, it’s going to feel uncertain sometimes. Lean into that. That’s where the interesting stuff happens, where you surprise yourself, grow, and become someone you didn’t even know you could be. And please… leave a little room for magic. The unplanned moments? They tend to be the ones that stick."
Teaching the Next Generation
Mallory Fitzpatrick, Ph.D. '26
"Both my cohort-mate and my faculty advisors were fundamental parts of my Bryn Mawr experience, and I didn’t realize quite how much you need to find your people. Finding the right people to work with and hang with can really make or break your experience. "
Esénia Bañuelos '26
"At Bryn Mawr, I was the SGA President, getting to know the interests of over 1,360 students and working on a wonderful team of eight people on the Executive Board. The amount of care dedicated to fostering homes through the people I have met has astounded me and will never stop inspiring me."
Mary Somerville, Ph.D. '26
"The graduate community here has always been full of wildly intelligent but intellectually generous folks, and they have made me a better scholar not only by challenging me in conversation but also by helping me find resources and exchanging written work to edit."
Erica C. James '26
M.A. in Sport Management from the University of Connecticut
"The ability to take courses across multiple departments and disciplines gave me confidence in an interdisciplinary future."
Senior Spotlights
Esha Dev, M.S.S. '26
"Bryn Mawr is a beautiful, progressive, forward-thinking university with faculty and staff who genuinely care about students' growth and success. Things can feel heavy in the world right now, but knowing that Bryn Mawr is sending a new class of trauma-informed, social justice-oriented social workers into communities every year makes me feel hopeful about the kind of future we are building."
The Fulbright Year
Three members of the class of 2026 are headed abroad as a part of the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. This is the fourth consecutive year that Bryn Mawr College has been recognized as a top producer of student Fulbright recipients.
Caroline Battersby '26
A Literatures in English and German major, Caroline will participate in the U.S. Teaching Assistantship (USTA) Program in two secondary schools in Graz, Austria, building on her teaching experience as a German TA and a Writing Center tutor at Bryn Mawr.
Sophonisba Franecki '26
During her time at Bryn Mawr, Sophonisba studied Comparative Literature and Geology. Next year, her Fulbright will take her to Saxony, Germany, where she will teach English on her way to towards an academic career as a scholar-translator of literature.
Daniella Jacob '26
Daniella is headed to Samokov, Bulgaria, where she will be teaching English at a vocational school for hospitality and tourism. Originally from Houston, Texas, Daniella studied Religion at Haverford and was a Mellon Mays scholar.
Mahnoor Nasir '26
M.A. in Teaching, Secondary Biology at Loyola University Maryland
"The thing I absolutely adore about Bryn Mawr is the level of familiarity I have come to develop with my professors. Even though I have taken classes across many departments and, by the nature of my major, across the Bi-College, I have never felt as though my professors are an unknown entity."
Beyond the B.A.
Katelyn Kim '26
"The liberal arts and Bryn Mawr experience is set up to ensure you do not have to limit yourself but rather you can venture out (and we encourage you to do so) and receive amazing education and support in all subjects and aspects."
Yang Zhang '26
"The community at Bryn Mawr empowered me to envision a bright future, which I strive for with tears, joy, and lots of love. As I proceed towards my future, I appreciate that the Bryn Mawr community has, and will always be, a part of my life."
Anne Nguyen '26
"Be yourself and always stay curious about the person you can become. Be open to many opportunities — classes, people, activities — especially the ones outside of your comfort zone, and be intentional about how you will spend your time here because it will go by in the blink of an eye. There is so much richness in experience and learning awaiting you, so choose how you spend your time wisely while welcoming the unexpected and the uncomfortable."
Spotlight on STEM
Seda Peacher '26
After earning her B.A. and M.A. in Physics in just four years at Bryn Mawr, Seda is headed to Johns Hopkins University, where she will be a researcher in the Applied Physics Laboratory.
Suli Kamholtz-Roberts '26 and Juanita Beenyi '26
Suli and Juanita will both be pursuing nursing degrees at highly rated programs this fall. Kamholtz-Roberts, a biochemistry major will be attending the University of Pennsylvania. Beenyi, a chemistry major, will be attending Johns Hopkins.
Lia Wong-Fodor '26
After completing an impressive number of requirements as a Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and French & Francophone Studies double major, Lia has also completed the A.B./M.A. program in French and is now headed to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to be a research technician.
The Bryn Mawr Difference
At Bryn Mawr College, students turn a passion for learning into a life of purpose. Our community is unique: academically inspired, civically engaged, and always deeply committed. Mawrters know their stuff and choose their lives intentionally. They are agents of change in every arena—and forever members of a community founded on respect for the individual.