This year, Bard Early College is celebrating over 650 graduates across our national network of 10 schools, including the first graduating class of Bard High School Early College Brooklyn. Through published written works, academic achievements in and outside of the classroom, local and regional advocacy actions, and prestigious scholarship awards, the Class of 2026 represents the best of an early college education: curious, critical thinkers and talented scholars who are prepared to engage fully and authentically with our world today.

A graduate from each campus represented their class as their commencement speaker. Each of our student speakers spoke of the transformative power of the early college experience – how a rigorous, empowering education cultivates critical thinkers and curious learners who are prepared to engage fully and authentically with our world today.

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“It is important that, as we move forward into the world, we always remember what we learned in Bard Early College – To think for ourselves and forge our own beliefs based on our own values, to question everything; ask why, critically think, and unlock the root causes of why something happens; and to read, because reading is the key to truly understanding the world.” – Colin Buttitta

Colin Buttitta, Bard Early College (BEC) Hudson Valley ‘26, will continue his academic and athletic career at Bard College in the fall to study International Relations. The text that he enjoyed the most throughout his Bard Early College career was The Republic by Plato. 

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“When I was younger, I thought home was a place. Somewhere fixed that would always be waiting for me but Bard changed that definition. Now I think home is something you build and It’s the people who witness your growth and somehow become part of your story. That’s why leaving feels so strange, we’re not just leaving a building but leaving a version of ourselves that only existed here. And even as we all move forward into completely different chapters of our lives, I think part of us will always belong to this moment in time, this community at Bard, and most importantly to our dearest memories of each other.” – Solange Dunning

Solange Dunning, Manhattan ‘26,  will be attending American University to study Legal Studies and Political Science as part of their Honors college. Over her time at BHSEC Manhattan, Solange was part of the debate team and started the Clothes and Consumerism Club, where students donate clothes to women’s shelters around NYC. Solange interned at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, deepening her interest in legal studies. 

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“There is a Jamaican saying, ‘wi likkle but wi tallawah.’ We are small, but we are mighty. And I think that describes this class perfectly. Twenty-five of us. Two years ago we were strangers, and now we’re history. The inaugural graduating class from Bard Brooklyn. We didn’t have anyone ahead of us to show us how it was done. We figured it out anyway. That’s not luck, that’s us.” – Jenna McLean

Jenna McLean, Brooklyn ‘26, has served as the Public Relations Coordinator for Student Government throughout the two years that Bard High School Early College Brooklyn has been open. She is a Student Ambassador and has participated in a variety of extracurricular activities. This fall, Jenna will be attending Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, with the intent to study Business.

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“I had this preconceived notion about Bard. That maybe it was all tweed clad professors asking us to analyze what the author truly meant through this obscure phrase. Maybe everyone was going to show up with a holier-than-thou attitude. Maybe it would be a room full of pretentious valedictorians. But I was very wrong. Bard has been so much more welcoming than I could have ever anticipated … Leaving you all today, to each of your amazing futures, I suppose my primary emotion is gratitude. I’m grateful that a program such as this exists, allowing students from other schools to interact with each other in a fun, stimulating kind of way, in the best environment possible.” – Francesca Schifano

Francesca Schifano, Bard Early College (BEC) Hudson Valley ‘26, will be attending McGill University in the fall. Francesca has served at her high school as National Honor Society President, Student Council President, Vice President of the Class of 2026, and as a student Board of Education member. Her time at Bard Early College has hugely helped her writing and thinking skills, allowing her to connect with others through written pieces and thoughtful debates. 

Francesca Schifano. Photo by Tyler Williams