The Class of 2026 Is Picture Perfect

After a week of group learning and community building activities, the Class of 2026 concluded the new orientation program Friday night by gathering for the traditional class photo on East Campus.

The class was cheered on by Duke head coaches Kara Lawson of women’s basketball, Jon Scheyer of men’s basketball and Mike Elko of football and John Blackshear, associate vice provost for undergraduate education. At the end the photo was punctuated with a cannon fire of confetti that had the entire class celebrating.

While the class photo has been taken for almost two decades and become a campus tradition, much of the rest of Orientation Week was new. The students were divided into 19 groups and sent on an immersive, locally focused initiative called Experiential Orientation. The new program was conceived as part of QuadEx, Duke's new learning and residential experience that connects academic and residential life.

Photos and video by the Digital and Brand Strategy Team of the Office of University Communications.