August 16, 2026
My fellow Tulanians—
I am absolutely delighted to say three of my favorite words…
Welcome to Tulane!
I want to congratulate each and every one of you on being admitted to Tulane University!
As you well know, this is no easy feat.
I don’t know whether I would have gotten into Tulane if I had applied this year!!
In a way, this probably feels like the finish line— the culmination of all of your hard work in high school.
But in reality, it’s the starting point— or maybe I should say, the starting whistle.
I’m sure many of you followed the World Cup this summer.
Maybe some of you were even lucky enough to see a match!
The World Cup brings people together from all over the globe for an experience they’ll never forget.
This is, in a sense, what Tulane does as well.
Class of 2030: you’ve come to Tulane from down the street, from across the country, and from the other side of the world.
You’ve already proven that you have what it takes to succeed.
And now you’re ready to begin your own personal journey toward the best trophy of all: a Tulane diploma.
Perhaps we should call it the “Tulane Cup.”
Your college experience is a tournament of its own, with multiple stages, different challenges to navigate, and the occasional upset.
Like the teams in the World Cup, you don’t have to be perfect, and you don’t have to win every match.
You just have to focus on advancing. /
And in this tournament, you will all benefit from helping each other reach the next stage.
As you set out on your path, I’d like to share some inspiration from a coach whose name may be familiar, even if you’re not a soccer fan:
Ted Lasso.
Season four of this beloved show just dropped last week—and I have a feeling there will be watch parties in the residence halls!
Yes: Ted Lasso is a fictional coach on a television series.
But his wisdom is surprisingly relevant as you prepare to make the most of your time at Tulane.
Let’s kick off our “Lasso lessons” with a little theme music, courtesy of the Tulane University Marching Band!
[Band performance: excerpt from the Ted Lasso theme song]
Thank you, Tulane University Marching Band!!!
And now, let’s roll the clip with our first “Lasso lesson…”
“Be curious, not judgmental.”
At Tulane, you will live and learn together with students from all over the world and all different backgrounds.
This is incredibly rare, and it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Sometimes you will find that your classmates see the world through a very different lens.
When their opinions are at odds with your own, you may be tempted to judge them.
But that’s a yellow card!
Instead of racing to judge others, ask questions.
If you approach with curiosity, you will learn as much from your peers as you do from your professors.
In fact, you may be inspired to become a leader in Tulane’s civic engagement efforts— just like Autumn Sommers.
Autumn was the first in her family to attend college, so she understood the importance of bringing different perspectives to the table.
At Tulane, she fostered dialogue in a number of leadership roles— including as one of the first members of Tulane’s Ethics Bowl team.
Autumn competed nationally with the Tulane team, and also mentored local high school students, promoting civil discourse and respectful dialogue about critical issues.
Autumn graduated in May as a recipient of the prestigious Tulane 34 Award, and now she’s a congressional intern in Washington, D.C. for a fellow Tulane alum.
Her success reflects the power of embracing curiosity and an open-minded approach throughout your college career.
At Tulane, this is how we create an environment where academic excellence can thrive.
Curiosity drives our interdisciplinary spirit, which sparks innovation and groundbreaking research.
Our students and faculty collaborate across fields to generate new discoveries in areas from cancer to coastal restoration.
From service learning to critical research, we also collaborate with community partners to improve— and save— lives.
When we choose to be curious, and not judgmental, we build a stronger team.
The next “Lasso lesson,” about how you respond to mistakes, might be his most famous:
“Be the goldfish.”
I wish I could tell you that you won’t come across any obstacles during your time at Tulane.
But college is a time to challenge yourself and take risks— and that means you’re bound to face setbacks occasionally.
Indeed, that is part of your education.
The key is not to dwell on it.
Don’t waste any time second-guessing your choices.
That’s a red card!
Let it go. And keep moving—just like the goldfish.
Paresh Kolluru learned this lesson first-hand.
He came to Tulane from Lafayette, Louisiana, with a dream of becoming a doctor.
Paresh applied to Phi Delta Epsilon, a highly selective association for pre-med students— and he was rejected.
But he didn’t give up on his dream.
When he reapplied the following year, he was accepted—and by senior year, he was president of Tulane’s chapter.
Paresh received the Tulane 34 Award, one of the university’s highest honors, when he graduated in May.
This fall, he’s a first-year medical student, taking the next step toward achieving his dream.
When you hit a roadblock, remember—
You are surrounded by an incredible support network of professors, staff, and peers: academic advisors, success coaches, faculty mentors, peer tutors… to name just a few.
They are committed to your achievement.
Newcomb-Tulane College has all the resources you need to keep you on the path to your trophy.
And Tulane’s supportive, relational community will cheer you on every step of the way—even when you stumble.
Finally, there’s one more “Lasso lesson” I’d like to share:
“To believe in yourself… to believe in one another... That’s fundamental to being alive.”
Coach Lasso’s wisdom is relevant because it’s not just about winning the game— it’s about each of us living our best life.
If we believe in ourselves and in each other, we can all advance to the next level in our own personal tournament.
And each of you will achieve the trophy of a Tulane diploma.
Today we’re not only celebrating the class of 2030, but also our new transfer students— the “free agents” who chose Tulane after beginning their college career at other schools.
Let me just say: that was the best choice you ever made.
Dylan Murray, our student speaker at this year’s commencement, transferred to Tulane after her first year of college.
During her sophomore year, she co-founded a biotech startup called “Exactics.”
Dylan and her teammates developed an at-home rapid test for Lyme disease.
They believed in each other— and so did Dr. Monica Embers, a world-renowned Lyme disease expert at Tulane’s National Biomedical Research Center.
Dr. Embers helped the team validate the tests, and now, they’re expanding their platform to develop at-home tests for a number of infectious diseases.
This could be an absolute game-changer for accelerating the path from infection to treatment, leading to better health outcomes across a range of illnesses.
In other words, it can save thousands of lives.
Dylan’s story shows what each one of you is capable of achieving… but remember, it starts with believing in yourself.
Right now, surrounded by academically ambitious scholars from all over the world, you may feel doubts creeping in.
Maybe you feel like the tiny nation of Cape Verde, making their world cup debut against one of the game’s top teams.
Cape Verde didn’t win in the first round— but they didn’t lose, either.
They remained undefeated by preventing their opponents from scoring, and they defied everyone’s expectations by advancing to the next round.
They believed in themselves, they believed in each other, and they became a success story without winning a single match.
If you’re still wondering why we’re talking about soccer, I have to confess:
I was a soccer player in high school.
In fact, I was recruited to be a college player— but I chose a different path.
If I hadn’t, I might not be standing here today— and there is no place I’d rather be.
During your college journey, success might look different than you expect.
At first, it might even look like failure.
When you’re faced with a challenge, keep those “Lasso lessons” in mind:
“be curious, not judgmental”…
“be the goldfish”…
“believe in yourself, and believe in one another.”
With the support of your peers, your professors, your advisors and coaches, I promise you’ll advance to the next round. You will win your own personal world cup of life.
And remember… I will always be on your team!
I believe in you!!!
Class of 2030, and all of our new Tulanians…
Welcome to the Tulane family!
I am delighted to turn things over to the Tulane University Marching Band for a song that became an unofficial anthem this summer.
I strongly encourage you to sing along!
My fellow Tulanians…
Welcome home!!!
[Band performance: Country Roads]