HBCU News Spotlight:
- Spelman Seven: seven co-valedictorians all graduated with perfect 4.0 GPAs, having entered Spelman together in fall 2022.
- Members head to top institutions: Columbia Law, UPenn med, DLA Piper, and Federal Defenders, pursuing law, medicine, policy, and creative careers.
- The women stressed sisterhood and community support, celebrating shared success with lines like "I’m not valedictorian alone" and "Spelman is like a Black girl Disneyland."
- The milestone counters political pressure on DEI and HBCUs, offering a message to future students: believe, be patient, challenge yourself, and persevere.
Spelman College just made history — and seven young Black women are at the center of it.
For the first time in the college’s 144-year history, Spelman College named seven co-valedictorians for the Class of 2026. Dubbed the “Spelman Seven” by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Alexis Sims, Nia-Sarai Perry, Cori’Anna White, Aiyana Ringo, Alyssa Richardson, Sophia Davis, and Mariama Diallo all graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA. All seven entered Spelman together in the fall of 2022 — and all seven are leaving at the very top of their class. The Spelman Seven valedictorians are not just a record-breaking moment for the college. They are a statement about what Black women accomplish when given the right environment to thrive.
Seven Women. Seven Stories.
Every one of the Spelman Seven brings a different discipline, background, and vision to the historic achievement.
Nia-Sarai Perry, 22, is a philosophy major from Tallahassee who spent her junior year believing she had missed her shot at valedictorian after a single A-minus. She proved herself wrong — and will head into private equity at DLA Piper law firm after graduation. Cori’Anna White, who described being educated as Spelman’s core identity, will attend Columbia Law School in the fall with her sights set on a career as an attorney. Alyssa Richardson, a biochemistry major from Washington D.C., earned a full-ride scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania medical school and will train to become a physician. Aiyana Ringo, a sociology major from New Orleans with seven internships on her résumé, is pursuing a career in criminal-legal reform and will work as a paralegal at the Federal Defenders of the Eastern District of New York. Sophia Davis is pursuing research at the intersection of music, art, and the environment. Alexis Sims aspires to be a lawyer. And Mariama Diallo rounds out a group that collectively represents careers in medicine, law, film, policy, public service, and creative industries.
Together they are headed to some of the most prestigious institutions and organizations in the country — and they are going there as Spelman women with perfect GPAs.
What It Felt Like to Share the Title
One of the most powerful elements of this story is not the achievement itself — it is how these seven women experienced it together.
“I hate doing things alone. So of course, I’m not valedictorian alone,” Perry said. “I love the fact that I don’t have to do this alone.” Davis echoed that sentiment: “It is all of the people that have poured into us. This is all of the forces, all of the love, all of the companionship that has gotten us to this moment.”
Richardson captured the Spelman experience in a single line that quickly spread across social media: “Spelman is like a Black girl Disneyland, where we can come and be ourselves and grow in our excellence and be leaders. To see that reflected in the valedictorians, and being distinguished with my sisters, it’s just amazing.”
Ringo added the broader context that makes this moment land differently in 2026: “It’s very difficult to be valedictorian at Spelman, and seeing seven Black women accomplish that shows our brilliance and our excellence. It makes it more powerful and shows how we can make history.”
Why This Moment Matters Right Now
The Spelman Seven arrived at this milestone during a national moment when diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives — and Black-centered educational institutions themselves — face mounting political pressure and legal challenges. Against that backdrop, seven Black women graduating with perfect GPAs from the nation’s top-ranked HBCU is not just a feel-good story. It is a direct response.
This is not Spelman’s first time producing multiple valedictorians. Last year the college had four, and in 2022 it had five. But seven in a single class — all entering together as freshmen in 2022 and finishing together at the very top — is something the school has never seen before in its 144-year history. Spelman’s Senior Vice Provost of Academic Affairs Mark Lee called it “extraordinary.”
The Spelman Seven leave behind a message for every student walking through those gates next fall: believe in yourself, be patient with yourself, challenge yourself, embrace every moment, and do not give up.
The Legacy Continues
The Class of 2026 commencement took place May 17 at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park, with political strategist and MSNBC anchor Symone Sanders Townsend delivering the keynote address and receiving an honorary doctorate of laws. Sanders Townsend — a former senior advisor to President Biden and chief spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris — became just the latest in a long line of trailblazing Black women to grace Spelman’s commencement stage.
The Spelman Seven walked across that stage together. They made Spelman College history together. And they are going out into the world together — seven sisters, seven 4.0s, and a legacy that will be talked about on that campus for generations.
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