2026 All-University Commencement Student Speaker: MCC’s Armaan Gupta

Graduating with a bachelor of science degree in Media, Culture, and Communication, Armaan has been president of the NYU BIPOC Legal Society, a Steinhardt undergraduate peer mentor, and an Admissions Ambassador.

When Armaan Gupta leads a campus tour, there’s a go-to line he and his fellow NYU Admissions Ambassadors always use: “When you get in the elevator at Bobst Library, you hear four different languages being spoken—all at the same time.”

He tells this to groups of high school students and their families as they pass the library just south of Washington Square Park. It’s funny, but it’s also true. The joke points to NYU’s global reach, something Armaan has been inspired by and will lean into for his remarks as the student speaker to the Class of 2026 for the 193rd All-University Commencement Exercises.

Asked to describe his class in one or two words, Armaan’s response came swift: “All-encompassing.”

“My peers come from everywhere; they study everything,” Armaan explains. “Being a part of the Class of 2026 has broadened my horizons. I’ve engaged in conversations I wouldn’t otherwise be a part of. I’ve learned about new cultures, new religious practices, and even tried new foods. My classmates are rewriting and reimagining the future, and I’m excited to see how our generation not only enters the workforce, but how the workforce changes because of us.”

Armaan is graduating with a BS in Media, Culture, and Communication from NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. During his time at NYU, he’s been a fierce advocate for his fellow students, reflected in his roles as president of the NYU BIPOC Legal Society, as a Steinhardt undergraduate peer mentor, and as an Admissions Ambassador. He’s also an aspiring lawyer who loves to cook and—once upon a time—was a contestant on Food Network’s Chopped Junior.

“It was super scary, especially at 12 years old,” Armaan says with a laugh. “I didn’t win, but I had a great experience. It reminded me how much I love to cook for family and friends—just maybe not on television.”

Though he didn’t take home the grand prize, his Chopped Junior experience stuck with him. So much so, it inspired part of his Commencement address.

“Over the past few years, I think it’s safe to say my class was handed a mystery basket of interesting ingredients,” Armaan explains.

His own personal mystery basket looked like starting college while still wearing a mask during the pandemic, learning to live on his own (first in New York City, then abroad at NYU Madrid), and stepping into the unknown as he took on the role of president of the NYU BIPOC Legal Society, a student organization with nearly 500 members. But, he notes, his experience isn’t necessarily unique. Like Armaan, everyone in the Class of 2026 has had the opportunity to find growth in unexpected moments, overcome personal obstacles big and small, and create positive change in their own lives as well as the lives of those around them.

“In my filming of Chopped Junior, I learned that when we are handed an unknown mix of ingredients, the goal is not only to use them, but make the most of them,” he concludes. “And that is exactly what the NYU Class of 2026 has done. We’ve been resilient. We’ve stayed engaged in classes and clubs, friendships and internships. The Class of 2026 will leave a legacy of working hard and showing up, regardless of what the world throws at us.”