Harvard SEAS 2026 Hooding Ceremony

I suppose it goes without saying that when you graduate with a degree from Harvard University, you’re in particularly rarified air? So, when you graduate with a Doctoral degree (the one after a Masters) that air is as rare as you can get. You’re literally one of the brightest minds in the country. Honored to have been asked to photograph some of them at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering & Applied Sciences (SEAS) 2026 Hooding Ceremony.

This intimate and unique ceremony took place on Harvard’s commencement day in a brand new facility, the David Rubenstein Treehouse, located at the ever expanding campus in Cambridge. The venue is both breathtaking and tranquil, filled with inspiring architecture and super interesting viewpoints.

Personally, my biggest takeaway was the radiating joy and immense pride that was felt by everyone there. The crowd was made up of families, friends, and sponsors (both personal and academic). Even though this represented the culmination of years of dedicated (and pressurized) schooling, there were no famous keynotes, the speeches were not overly grand either. Yes, there was much rejoicing in the moment and it was quite evident the special bonds that have been formed with faculty and students and their families. But the key message was really a charge to the honorees, a challenge to go forth and apply themselves to the world and fulfill that sense of purpose that helped get them to this point.

Onward and upward we go!