Baccalaureate Program 2026

2026

Or d e r o f Se r vice

Columbia University in the City of New York

Sunday, May 17, 2026 • 11:00 A.M. • St. Paul’s Chapel

2026

Order of Procession

ACADEMIC PROCESSION Religious Life Advisers Student Speakers Vice President, University Life Executive Vice President, University Life and Wellbeing Dean of the School of General Studies Co-Interim Dean of the College, Barnard College Dean of the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science Dean of Columbia College University Provost Dean of Religious Life

2026

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Ord er of Ser vi ce

Order of Serv ice PRELUDE

MUSICAL SELECTION

Abigail Edwards School of General Studies, 2026 Student Organist

Arijit Singh Medley

Varshini Parthasarathy and Roshni Parthasarathy Columbia Sur

Organ Sonata No. 2: I. Lebhaft

Paul Hindemith

PROCESSIONAL Dina Foster-Osbourne Organist Day of Delight and Beauty Unbounded, Festival Fanfare

Brenda Portman

OPENING WORDS Rev. Dr. Ian Rottenberg Dean of Religious Life INTRODUCTION TO THE BACCALAUREATE SPEAKERS Religious Life Advisers

Thilina Balasooriya, Columbia College, 2026 Arithra Das, Barnard College, 2028 Rohan Jain, School of Professional Studies, 2026 Anwita Karanth, Columbia Law School, 2026 Riya Kishen, Barnard College, 2026 Priyanka Nanayakkara, Barnard College, 2026 Sankrith Ramani, Columbia College, 2027 Aishwarya Rao, Barnard College, 2026 Deven Seth, School of Engineering and Applied Science, 2028 Tanisha Srivatsa, Barnard College, 2026

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Order of Serv ice REFLECTIONS Lucy Hecht Columbia College, 2026 Jewish

MUSICAL SELECTION Heavy/Mizmor LeDavid

Birdtalker Psalm 23 Arranged by Raphi Simonson, Columbia College, 2023 Pizmon

“Take your son, your favored one, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the heights that I will point out to you.” So early next morning, Abraham saddled his donkey and took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and he set out for the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place from afar.

Genesis 22:2–4 Jewish Publication Society

Medha Ninad Tambe Columbia College, 2026 Hindu

Then, higher than this heaven, above the world, higher than everything, in the highest world, higher than which nothing exists—the light that shines there is the same light that is in a human being.

Chandogya Upanishad (3.13.7)

Rochelle Berman, Barnard College/Jewish Theological Seminary, 2027 Anna Birman, School of General Studies/Jewish Theological Seminary, 2027 Dore Fish-Bieler, School of General Studies/Jewish Theological Seminary, 2026 Gabriel Freedman-Naditch, School of General Studies/Tel Aviv University, 2026 Alix Gilkarov, School of General Studies/Jewish Theological Seminary, 2026 Aviva Goldberg, School of General Studies/Jewish Theological Seminary, 2029 Lily Lebwohl, Barnard College, 2028 Hannah Levinson, Barnard College, 2028 Mischa Parsons, School of Engineering and Applied Science, 2029 Maytal Polonetsky, Barnard College, 2027 Gavin Rubin, School of General Studies/Tel Aviv University, 2027 Zack Singerman, School of General Studies/Jewish Theological Seminary, 2027 Yaya Spitzer Tilchin, School of General Studies/Jewish Theological Seminary, 2027 Noa Wacholder, School of General Studies/Jewish Theological Seminary, 2028

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Ord er of Ser vi ce

Order of Serv ice REFLECTIONS

Bethany Duncan School of Engineering and Applied Science, 2026 Episcopalian

MUSICAL SELECTION Wer Gott vertraut, hat wohl gebaut, BWV 433

Johann Sebastian Bach

Columbia University Bach Society For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance … a time to seek, and a time to lose.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 NIV

Karan Singh Saini Columbia College, 2026 Sikh Har jan ki seva safal hai, jit seviai har naam dhiaaeeai, saadh sangat kai vaasai har ras paaeeai.

Service to the people of the Lord is fruitful.

Through such service one remembers the Divine Name.

In the company of the holy congregation one experiences divine joy.

Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, Ang 266

Hiuyi Cheng, Barnard College, 2028 Phil Ionkov, Columbia College, 2026 Won Jong, Columbia College, 2026 Lily Lebwohl, Barnard College, 2028 Daksha Pillai, Columbia College, 2027 Emily Qiu, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, 2027 Sonali Rao, Columbia College, 2028 Yiming Song, Columbia College, 2026 Sam Wilder, School of Engineering and Applied Science, 2026 Keoni Wun, School of Engineering and Applied Science, 2029 Akshat Yaparla, School of Engineering and Applied Science, 2025

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Ord er of Ser vi ce

Order of Serv ice REFLECTIONS

MUSICAL SELECTION

Sai Ramani Choudari Barnard College, 2026 Hindu

Total Praise

तत्कर्म यन्न बन्धाय सा विद्या या विमुक्तये। आयासायापरं कर्म विद्यान्या शिल्पनैपुणम् ॥

Gospel Choir

That is action, which does not encourage attachment; That is knowledge which liberates one. All other action is pointless hardship, and all other knowledge is simply worldly skill.

Vishnu Purana (1.19.41)

Devin Leslie School of General Studies/Jewish Theological Seminary, 2026 Jewish

‫ל ֹא ַבָשַּׁמ ִים ִהיא‬ It is not in the heavens.

“The Oven of Akhnai,” Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metzia 59a-b

Richard Smallwood Arranged by Josh Black, Columbia College, 2025

Teniola Adedire, Columbia College, 2028 Joseph Akinyoyenu, Columbia College, 2028 Hannah Carter, Columbia College, 2026 Sarah Forde, Columbia College, 2028 Aisha Frampton-Clerk, School of General Studies, 2027 Hiker Gouvernuer, Columbia College, 2029 Anjalee Hardy, Columbia College, 2027 Natasha Kalombo, Columbia College, 2029 Sara Lee, Columbia Law School, 2026 Otto Montgomery, Columbia College, 2028 Melnick Nebart, Columbia College, 2027 Zoe Powell-McCroey, Columbia College, 2028 Nadege Sainsurin, Columbia College, 2027 Emerald Tellez, Columbia College, 2029 Robert Wang, Columbia College, 2029 Etana Williams, Columbia College, 2027 Therese Zinga, School of Engineering and Applied Science, 2027

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Order of Serv ice REFLECTIONS Ismail Ennibi Columbia College, 2026 Muslim

Mā ʿindakum yanfadu wamā ʿinda l-lahi bāqin walanajziyanna alladhīna ṣabarū ajrahum bi-aḥsani mā kānū yaʿmalūn Whatever you have is ephemeral but what God has is enduring: and We shall reward those who practice patience for the best of their deeds.

Qur’an 16:96 Yā ayyuhā alladhīna āmanū iṣ’birū waṣābirū warābiṭū wa-ttaqū l-laha laʿallakum tuf ’liḥūn You who believe, be patient—compete in patience, be constant; and be mindful of God, that you might flourish.

Qur’an 3:200

Madeline Rose Wiseman Columbia College, 2026 Catholic Sing, goddess, the anger of Peleus’ son Achilleus and its devastation, which put pains thousandfold upon the Achaians…

The Iliad, Homer For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters, only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become enslaved to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians 5:13–14, NRSV

MUSICAL SELECTION My Way

Paul Anka, Claude Francois, and Jacques Revaux Arranged by Jonathan Nechemiah Cohen, Columbia College, 2016 Columbia Clefhangers Anika Bhaskaran, Columbia College, 2028 Pritikaa Biswas, Columbia College, 2029 Anagha Chakravarti, Barnard College, 2029 Dori Dong, Barnard College, 2026 Zoe Haynes, Columbia College, 2029 Madeleine Li, Columbia College, 2027 Alif Masron, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, 2026 Jason Shim, Columbia College, 2029 Ada Shin, Columbia College, 2029 Emory Sun, Columbia College, 2026

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Ord er of Ser vi ce CLOSING WORDS

BACCALAUREATE PIN

Rev. Dr. Ian Rottenberg

The design of the 2026 Baccalaureate pin is inspired by the Guastavino tiles of St. Paul’s Chapel and the mosaic formed by our diverse religious communities at Columbia. These communities embody the mission engraved above the door of Earl Hall, “That religion and learning may go hand in hand, and character grow with knowledge.” All graduates who attend the service receive this special commemorative pin.

RECESSIONAL Crown Imperial

William Walton

POSTLUDE Toccata from Symphony No. 5

BACCALAUREATE Charles-Marie Widor

The Baccalaureate Service is believed to have originated in a statute of 1432 at Oxford University requiring each bachelor to deliver a sermon in Latin as part of his academic exercise. Since the earliest universities in this country were founded primarily to educate ministers, the British practice of a Baccalaureate Service was continued.

The tradition of the Baccalaureate Service at Columbia University began after the move to the Morningside Heights campus in 1897. The Baccalaureate Service is a multifaith celebration of undergraduate commencement.

This service is prepared and coordinated by the Office of Religious Life and University Ceremonies.