Williams College

06/15/2026

Reunited 🐮 💜 We loved welcoming back the 1s and 6s this past weekend for Reunion. Stay tuned for more!

06/12/2026

Ending the week on a high note!

In a serendipitous moment, commencement speaker Cécile McLorin Salvant (Cecile McLorin Salvant) closed out her remarks with “Somewhere (There’s a Place for Us)” from Stephen Sondheim’s ‘50 “West Side Story.”

For more from this year’s truly memorable commencement, head to the link in our bio.

There’s a place for us,
A time and place for us.
Hold my hand and we’re halfway there.
Hold my hand and I’ll take you there
Somehow,
Some day,
Somewhere!

06/11/2026

Last name Amherst: 0

This and more important numbers within... We're so proud of each and every one of you! 🎓

Data courtesy of the The Williams Record special commencement issue, Williams Admission & the office of Institutional Research.

06/10/2026

"Rather than serving up platitudes or moral instruction from an old guy who already has a job, I thought I would give you some evidence-based strategies for managing uncertainty and change," said former ABC News anchor and correspondent Dan Harris during his Baccalaureate address Saturday evening. "And these are things I learned the hard way from making phenomenally stupid mistakes in my own life."

Watch his remarks and others from commencement weekend here: https://bit.ly/4eE5tbl

06/10/2026

Class Day photos just dropped!

The day before commencement, the Class of 2026 gathered for Ivy Exercises—an informal event including student awards, presentation of the Olmsted Prize to outstanding high school teachers, and longstanding traditions such as planting ivy and dropping a watch—and Baccalaureate, a service of gratitude and remembrance using the languages of many religions.

See the full photo collections from both events on our Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/williamscollege/collections/72157725073109220/

06/09/2026

Congratulations to Sam Samuel '26, recipient of the William Bradford Turner Citizenship Prize!

Our entire community has been strengthened by Sam's generosity. Through their advocacy and organization they prioritized the importance of every person feeling a sense of belonging to and responsibility for our community. Their concern for others stretched out from Williams into our wider region, with particular sensitivity to issues of food insecurity in the Berkshires, which led to organizing efforts to help our neighbors who experienced a sudden loss of SNAP food benefits. They were a member of OURSTEM, BLACK STEM, Club Volleyball, and Sisterhood, as well as co-chair of the Minority Coalition Steering Committee. Sam also worked behind the scenes on campus, stage managing theatre and dance productions and organizing appreciation events for college dining and custodial staff.

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The William Bradford Turner Citizenship Prize was established in memory of Mr. Turner of the Class of 1914, who was killed in action in France in 1916. Announced at commencement each year, the award is given to a member of the graduating class whose service, leadership and goodwill have inspired the Williams community, and whose wholehearted embrace of the institution has helped us to see more clearly its highest purposes.

06/08/2026

"...[S]o that we will not, in all our doing, lose sight of its purpose, which is, after all, to make the world a more human dwelling place.” Phi Beta Kappa Speaker Janine Wang ’26 closed her commencement remarks with the help of this James Baldwin quote, reminding students of their responsibility in and to society.

Other highlights from Williams College's 237th Commencement included a musical speech by composer, singer and visual artist Cécile McLorin Salvant, performances by class musician Michael Ma '26 and members of the Class of 2026, and remarks by class speaker Mariel Baez '26, who was later awarded the Dewey Prize for her address.

Check it all out in this recap of the day, and another huge congrats to the Class of 2026!

06/08/2026

“What I’m advocating for ultimately is a kindness that goes both ways. That kindness toward yourself, toward what is a little strange within you, is that same kindness with which you can meet the people in the world around you." —Composer, singer and visual artist Cécile McLorin Salvant

Read about yesterday's commencement exercises in the Berkshire Eagle:

“That kindness toward yourself, toward what is a little strange within you, is that same kindness with which you can meet the people in the world around you." she told

06/08/2026

What a day! Congratulations, graduates!

Here’s a first look at commencement 🎓 And stay tuned for more coverage to come...

06/07/2026

Hats off to you, the Class of 2026! You did it!!