It was a perfect day at 3000 Cathedral Avenue. Under sunny skies and before cheering families and faculty, the Maret Class of 2026 accepted their diplomas and stepped into their futures.

Guest speaker, acclaimed author Kwame Alexander P’26, asked the graduates to consider poet Mary Oliver’s big question: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” He reminded them, “You got this!” and gave them practical tips for the journey ahead, including “It’s okay to make mistakes;” “Do not party;” and “AI is not the answer….It will never be able to ask the right questions….It will never allow you to find yourself in each answer one word at a time….Go write your story.”

Student speaker Darien Mitchell ’26 reflected on this moment of transition with appreciation for her time at Maret — including “encountering so many people with different backgrounds, experiences, and stories to tell” and the “priceless” connections with supportive faculty. As for the future? She surmised that most in the class were feeling the same way she was: “prepared to go out into the world, but unprepared to say goodbye.” And yet, “how lucky we are,” she concluded, “to have such wonderful people to miss.”

Head of School Dennis Bisgaard and Upper School Director Steven Tejada presented the diplomas, and President of the Board of Trustees Leigh Comas welcomed the graduates into the alumni association.

With college applications and hundreds of lessons from teachers and coaches behind them, the Class of 2026 are headed to a wide variety of colleges and universities across the country. Associate Head of School for Student Life and Twelfth Grade Dean Lynn Levinson said that this class will be remembered for their leadership and their ability to “agree and disagree robustly and respectfully,” for knowing how to have fun, and for their generosity with each other. Maret will welcome these frogs back whenever they return to the pond!

The Class of 2026 will attend the following colleges and universities:

Amherst College
Boston College
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Dickinson College
Duke University
Emory University
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Georgetown University
Gettysburg College
Harvey Mudd College
Haverford College
Howard University
Middlebury College
Morehouse College
New York University
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Oberlin College
Princeton University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Shenandoah University
Smith College
Spelman College
Swarthmore College
Temple University
Towson University
Tufts University
Tulane University
United States Naval Academy
University of Chicago
University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign)
University of Maryland
University of Michigan
University of Pennsylvania
University of Rochester
University of Southern California
University of Virginia
University of Wisconsin
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Villanova University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest University
Washington University in St. Louis
Wesleyan University
Williams College
Xavier University of Louisiana
Yale University