Mayor of Boston Michelle Wu ’12 will be Harvard Law School’s 2026 Class Day Speaker.
This year’s Class Day celebration for graduates and their families will take place Wednesday, May 27 on the law school campus.
“To return to Harvard Law School as Class Day Speaker for the Class of 2026 is a deeply meaningful honor,” said Mayor Wu. “This institution helped shape my sense of purpose, and I look forward to celebrating a class that will now shape the world.”
Monica Monroe, dean of students and associate dean for community engagement, equity, and belonging, wrote in an email to graduating students:
“We are thrilled to have Mayor Wu share her wisdom and insight with the Class of 2026. Throughout her career, Mayor Wu has consistently demonstrated a steadfast commitment to serving the public welfare. Her dedication to improving the City of Boston and the lives of its residents provides a fitting example of the commitment we hope our graduates demonstrate towards positively impacting the world.”
The daughter of Taiwanese American immigrants, Wu became the first woman, first person of color, and first Asian American elected to serve as the mayor of Boston in November 2021. She won re-election last fall running unopposed after receiving more than 71 percent of the vote in the preliminary election.
Wu graduated with honors from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. In 2014, at the age of 28, she became the first Asian American woman to serve on the Boston City Council. In 2016, she was unanimously elected by her colleagues as City Council president.
Wu’s work in public service started while studying at Harvard Law School when she interned at City Hall under Mayor Thomas Menino. She is an alumna of the Rappaport Fellows Program in Law and Public Policy.
While studying at Harvard Law, Wu also gained experience in community advocacy at the WilmerHale Legal Services Center in Jamaica Plain where she provided legal advice to low-income small business owners. She was also involved in the Tenant Advocacy Project and Harvard Mediation Program.
As mayor, she established the Office of Early Childhood to expand access to high-quality education and childcare resources, implemented the Boston Green New Deal, expanded public transportation ridership, and has presided over a substantial reduction in gun violence.
Wu is fluent in Mandarin and Spanish, and lives in Roslindale with her husband Conor and her children Blaise, Cass, and Mira.
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