Skip to main content
Newsroom

2026 Kennedy Center Valedictorians Announced

The Kennedy Center has announced its 2026 valedictorians! Each of the seven major programs names a valedictorian, chosen by the faculty of the program based on their overall performance, including academics, leadership roles, and other extracurricular activities.

This year's valedictorians are as follows:

  • American Studies: Jessika Cole
  • Ancient Near Eastern Studies: Annie Spach
  • Asian Studies: Jacob Bayles
  • European Studies: Marina Passey
  • International Relations: Benjamin Culverwell
  • Latin American Studies: Tori Mask
  • Middle East Studies/Arabic: Mirabella Archibald Keogh

Congratulations to these students, and we wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.