Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The College of the Atlantic community celebrates the COA Class of 2026 at the 53rd Commencement on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
Approximately 800 friends, family, trustees, faculty, staff, and fellow students joined graduates under a large tent on the North Lawn for the event. The ceremony opened with a procession led by the Anah Highlander bagpipers and a warm welcome from professors John Anderson and Suzanne Morse, retiring this year along with teaching staff Linda Fuller.
The ceremony featured inspiring remarks from keynote speaker Bayo Akomolafe, COA President Sylvia Torti, and several graduating seniors, as well as a welcome from COA Board of Trustees Chair Cynthia Baker. The day honored the accomplishments of the graduating class and celebrated the spirit of community and global engagement that defines the COA experience.
Video chapters
00:00 Procession
04:09 Welcome - John G.T. Anderson, PhD
11:54 Welcome - Suzanne R. Morse, PhD
15:14 Board Chair Welcome - Cynthia Baker
19:41 President's Remarks - Dr. Sylvia Torti
28:40 Student Welcome - Iain Dzionk ’26
34:25 Student Perspective - Ella Raines ’26
38:54 Student Perspective - Emmy Wahlström ’26
45:25 Student Perspective - Paloma Jofre Videla ’26
55:03 Commencement Speaker Intro - Paloma Jofre Videla ’26, Neha Panda ’26, Issa Pizzimenti ’26, and Leander Laga Abram ’26
01:00:50 Commencement Speaker - Bayo Akomolafe
01:23:52 Award of Honorary Degrees
01:34:10 Award of Bachelor of Arts in Human Ecology
The College of the Atlantic community celebrates the COA Class of 2026 at the 53rd Commencement on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
Approximately 800 friends, family, trustees, faculty, staff, and fellow students joined graduates under a large tent on the North Lawn for the event. The ceremony opened with a procession led by the Anah Highlander bagpipers and a warm welcome from professors John Anderson and Suzanne Morse, retiring this year along with teaching staff Linda Fuller.
The ceremony featured inspiring remarks from keynote speaker Bayo Akomolafe, COA President Sylvia Torti, and several graduating seniors, as well as a welcome from COA Board of Trustees Chair Cynthia Baker. The day honored the accomplishments of the graduating class and celebrated the spirit of community and global engagement that defines the COA experience.
Video chapters
00:00 Procession
04:09 Welcome - John G.T. Anderson, PhD
11:54 Welcome - Suzanne R. Morse, PhD
15:14 Board Chair Welcome - Cynthia Baker
19:41 President's Remarks - Dr. Sylvia Torti
28:40 Student Welcome - Iain Dzionk ’26
34:25 Student Perspective - Ella Raines ’26
38:54 Student Perspective - Emmy Wahlström ’26
45:25 Student Perspective - Paloma Jofre Videla ’26
55:03 Commencement Speaker Intro - Paloma Jofre Videla ’26, Neha Panda ’26, Issa Pizzimenti ’26, and Leander Laga Abram ’26
01:00:50 Commencement Speaker - Bayo Akomolafe
01:23:52 Award of Honorary Degrees
01:34:10 Award of Bachelor of Arts in Human Ecology
