On Class Day, the Lewis Center for the Arts Celebrates the Class of 2026

At the annual Class Day ceremony held on May 25, 2026, in the Matthews Theatre at McCarter Theatre Center, the Lewis Center for the Arts recognized 82 graduates who earned minors through the Programs in Creative Writing, Dance, Theater & Music Theater, and Visual Arts, as well as degrees in the Practice of Art track in the Department of Art & Archaeology. With introductory remarks by Lewis Center Chair Judith Hamera, the ceremony reflected on four years of incredible achievements by students in Princeton University’s Class of 2026.

Welcome to the 2026 Lewis Center for the Arts Class Day, celebrating our graduating seniors’ work during their time with us. And what work it was: ambitious, courageous, generous, moving, and original, in and across multiple mediums! Along with the work itself, we celebrate the ways you made it. You collaborated and critiqued, thought, wrote, built, and moved, argued, struggled, and kept going individually and together. You did hard things, beautiful things, and important things. I hope your pride in both what you made and how you made it stays with you. I hope it reminds you of what art can do in turbulent times, and of what you can do with the vision and energy you’ve so amply demonstrated over your time at Princeton. On behalf of the entire LCA, most enthusiastic congratulations and thank you. We can’t wait to hear what you’ll do next.
— Judith Hamera, Chair of the Lewis Center

Class Day Photos

A large group of students pose for a photo on a stage.

Princeton graduates who received minors in the Program in Creative Writing pose for a photo. Photo by Ron Wyatt

A crowd of people applaud in an auditorium.

The Lewis Center for the Arts celebrates graduates of the Class of 2026 who earned minors and degrees through the Programs in Creative Writing, Dance, Theater & Music Theater, and Visual Arts. Photo by Ron Wyatt

Susan Marshall, Director of the Program in Dance, speaks during the 2026 Class Day Celebration. Photo by Ron Wyatt

Princeton graduates who received minors in the Program in Dance pose for a photo. Photo by Ron Wyatt

Jane Cox, Director of the Program in Theater and Music Theater, speaks during the 2026 Class Day Celebration. Photo by Ron Wyatt

Princeton graduates who received minors in the Program in Theater and Music Theater pose for a photo. Photo by Ron Wyatt

A person holds papers at a podium and speaks into a microphone as someone else stands beside them.

Colleen Asper, Associate Director of Visual Arts, and Pam Lins, Interim Director of Visual Arts, speak during the 2026 Class Day Celebration. Photo by Ron Wyatt

Princeton graduates who received minors in the Program in Visual Arts or degrees in the Practice of Art track in the Department of Art & Archaeology pose for a photo. Photo by Ron Wyatt

Four people stand and talk to one another.

Lewis Center for the Arts Chair Judith Hamera speaks during the 2026 Class Day Celebration. Photo by Ron Wyatt

A person with a broad smile make her way through the aisle of an auditorium.

Elena Milliken walks to the stage of the Matthews Theatre at McCarter Theatre Center to receive the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts. Photo by Ron Wyatt

Two people stand on stage and look happy to see each other.

Elena Milliken receives the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts from Lewis Center for the Arts Chair Judith Hamera during the 2026 Class Day Celebration. Photo by Ron Wyatt

A person stands in front of banners smiling.

Sally Menaker receives the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts during the 2026 Class Day Celebration. Photo by Ron Wyatt

Sally Menaker receives the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts from Lewis Center for the Arts Chair Judith Hamera during the 2026 Class Day Celebration. Photo by Ron Wyatt

Nsebong (Nse) Adah was honored with the Toni Morrison Prize during the 2026 Class Day Celebration. Photo by Ron Wyatt

Melanie Garcia was honored with the Toni Morrison Prize during the 2026 Class Day Celebration. Photo by Ron Wyatt

A person speaks on a stage while someone else stands and listens.

Charlotte Pfenning receives the Action Based Community Engagement Award from Lewis Center for the Arts Chair Judith Hamera during the 2026 Class Day Celebration. Photo by Ron Wyatt

A person applauds someone on a stage as they approach.

Charlotte Pfenning receives the Action Based Community Engagement Award from Lewis Center for the Arts Chair Judith Hamera during the 2026 Class Day Celebration. Photo by Ron Wyatt

Ava Kronman receives the Action Based Community Engagement Award during the 2026 Class Day Celebration. Photo by Ron Wyatt

Four people talk in standing in an auditorium.

A person smiles into the camera holding up swag in an auditorium.

Six people pose for a photo in front of a stage with a group of people standing on it.

Two people pose for a photo as one person holds flowers.

A person holds up a folder with a piece of paper in it at a table with three other people.

A person holds a piece of paper sitting down next to someone else.

Top Academic Prizes

Each year the Lewis Center awards three top academic prizes that recognize a number of students for overall achievement in the arts. This year, Hamera announced these honors for six seniors who demonstrated excellence and proficiency in their fields, enlarged the scope of our understanding of issues of race, and embodied a commitment to push boundaries and explore unknown territory.

Elena Milliken and Sally Menaker received the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts
Nsebong (Nse) Adah and Melanie Garcia were honored with the Toni Morrison Prize
Ava Kronman and Charlotte Pfenning received the Action Based Community Engagement Award

Professor of Creative Patricia Smith, Program in Dance Director Susan Marshall, Program in Theater & Music Theater Director Jane Cox, and Program in Visual Arts Interim Director Pam Lins also shared remarks and announced a number of awards given to seniors for outstanding achievement in each program.

Class Day – 2025-26 Highlights

As guests were entering the theater for the Class Day ceremony, a slide show recapping the past academic year, including photos of the senior independent work by the graduating class, was shared.

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