The Harvard College Class of 2026 Elects its Class Marshals

On Sept. 19, the Harvard Alumni Association and the Harvard College Fund announced the first and second marshals, program marshals, and Harvard College Fund Marshals for the Class of 2026. 

Charisma Chen ’26 and Mohan Hathi ’26 were elected first and second class marshals. The program marshals elected are Toluwaniase Ademola ’26, Kirthi Chigurupati ’26, Emma de Jong ’26, Arezoo Ghazagh ’26, Kritika Nagappa ’26, and Jade Stanford ’26. The HCF Marshals are Said El Kadi ’26, Ethan Hsiao ’26, Cassie Liu ’26, Isabella Mandis ’26, Shukria Yassin ’26, and Andrew Zonneveld ’26.

For over a century, each Harvard College senior class has elected class marshals to serve their community during their final two undergraduate semesters. Unlike the Harvard Undergraduate Association, which focuses more on campus life and student organizations, the Senior Class Committee functions as the senior class’s governance body. Harvard College Fund Marshals are selected separately through an HCF and HAA-run application process. 

The Committee is responsible for organizing class-wide events such as Senior Week and Class Day, as well as educating seniors on how to engage with the HCF and University philanthropy after graduation. The Committee will support the transition to alumni life by recruiting volunteers for the HAA, HCF, and coordinating reunion events. 

Seniors campaigned for their classmates’ votes, posting comedic skits and creative posts on Instagram to spread the word. “The campaign was fun, [but] it was really intense,” said Hathi in an interview with the Harvard Independent, pointing to a 50-person-long “dance chain” video he made. 

“My campaign revolved around the slogan VOTE KRIT GET LIT, and I leaned all the way in: making silly videos around campus, dancing in costumes, whipping up matcha at Café Gato Rojo, and even dropping a house music mix,” Nagappa wrote in a statement to the Independent. 

“For weeks afterward, people would stop me to sing, ‘VOTE KRIT GET LIT,’ or text me that it was stuck in their heads.”

Because most of the class already knew one another, candidates had to get creative. “I think [for] the campaign process, you want to show off your personality a bit more,” Ademola told the Independent. “I wanted to just [feel] genuine… It ended up working out.” 

Ademola riffed on his British nationality in a video skit referencing a rap meme and held open photoshoots on the Widener steps during voting, dubbing the sessions “Photolu.”

Crucial to all of the interviewees’ decisions to run were a sense of gratitude and a desire to remain connected to their Harvard College peers following commencement. 

“The Class of 2026 is genuinely incredible,” Ghazagh told the Independent. “Every day, even if it’s people I’ve already seen before, I’m continuously inspired by everyone around me. I didn’t want that to stop after graduating.” 

“What this means to me is a lifelong relationship with our class at Harvard, a lifelong responsibility to build community within our class,” Chen said in an interview with the Independent. “We’re here to build really unforgettable memories with each other, and then in life beyond.” 

The Class of 2026 has weathered four turbulent years on campus and nationwide. This class was the first graduating class to be completely free of pandemic restrictions after losing most of their high school years to COVID-19 shutdowns. They faced the press coverage that accompanied the rise and fall of Harvard President Claudine Gay, the upheaval that came with the Israel-Hamas war, and the spring 2024 Harvard encampment. Over the past year, they also felt the effects of tensions between Harvard and the Trump administration.

“Ours is a class that’s carried so much of the anxiety that inevitably comes with being a Harvard student these past few months and years,” Nagappa said. “More than anything, people just want a year where they can be silly, relax, and actually enjoy the experience of being college students.” 

Ademola, who transferred to the College as a sophomore, found community in his surroundings and inspiration from his classmates. “Our class has been very resilient despite so much change in the school.” For the past three years, he has observed peers step into leadership roles across campus—much like the mentors he had when he first arrived. 

“[As a transfer student], I was a bit more isolated… I met a bunch of upperclassmen, whom I saw as mentors and friends, bringing people together,” he continued. “So I got involved in HoCo, got involved in a bunch of different organizations…[now] our class is setting a good example for underclassmen.”

One of the responsibilities outlined in the description of the Class Committee Roles is embodying the shared values of the committee to their classmates in “​​word and action.” When the Independent asked interviewees about what these values would be, a recurring theme was “inclusivity.” 

Chen expressed a desire to create a “third space” where students felt uninhibited by social norms, restoring the feeling of communal life in Harvard Yard during freshman year. 

“School has a way of beating [out] the childlike wonder of just saying ‘yes’ to everything, because things get scary when you know people and there are stakes involved in your relationships,” Chen explained. “I loved freshman year because there was just a magical sort of air to anything that you did, or anybody you spoke to, and everybody was so down to meet everybody else—and that was when things were so fluid, and there’s endless opportunity.” 

“I want to bring the whole class together and create a feeling of identity within our class year,” Hathi said. “I hope that people go out of this senior year with strong, lifelong connections and feel like they’re seen and understood by our class.”

The Marshals were especially excited about the Committee’s plans for the spring—parties, merchandise, and unique experiences. 

“We know we want some of these fun, bigger parties. But what I’m also excited about is having a balance, because those things don’t necessarily appeal to all parts of the class… I had some ideas on the chill side, like a ‘Family Feud’-style night or a ‘Battle of the Bands,’” Ghazagh said. 

Ademola agreed and suggested impromptu food drops for seniors that rotated between Houses or weekend retreats organized with the Harvard Alumni Association.

“It would be super cool to execute some more ambitious ideas,” Chen, who brought up the limitation of having to fundraise mostly from the class, added. “Somebody gave us the idea of laser tag in Lamont, or a sleepover at Widener…The more in advance we fundraise, the more ambitious we can get with the size and scope of our events.”

Regardless of which events materialize, the marshals expressed strong mutual respect and excitement for their work together. “We have an amazing team—I really look up to the other people who are elected, and we have really great energy,” Hathi said. 

The Class Committee will now meet weekly with the Harvard College Fund and Alumni Association, and in the coming weeks, they will appoint the Class Secretary, Class Treasurer, Media Team Members, and House Representatives. 

“It’s super exciting to meet a new group of people and get to work with them…that’s been one of the highlights of my time at Harvard—just really cool people,” Ademola said. 

Caroline Stohrer ’28 (carolinestohrer@college.harvard.edu) can’t wait to see what this year’s Class Committee comes up with.