Noted activist, author and founder, Reshma Saujani, will deliver Olin’s 2026 Commencement Address
Reshma Saujani, a leading activist, the founder of Girls Who Code, the founder and CEO of Moms First, and the host of My So-Called Midlife with Lemonada Media, will be the featured speaker at Olin College’s 2026 Commencement.
The ceremony will be held at the College’s campus on Friday, May 15, 2026, and will celebrate Olin’s 21st graduating class.
Reshma Saujani has spent more than a decade building movements to fight for women and girls’ economic empowerment, working to close the gender gap in the tech sector, and fighting for the structural changes moms need and deserve including affordable childcare and paid leave.
Reshma Saujani, a leading activist, the founder of Girls Who Code, the founder and CEO of Moms First, and the host of My So-Called Midlife with Lemonada Media, will be the featured speaker at Olin College’s 2026 Commencement.
Saujani is a New York Times bestselling author of several books including PAY UP: The Future of Women and Work (And Why It’s Different Than You Think), Brave, Not Perfect, and the Girls Who Code book series. As a leading voice on women’s empowerment, her Smith College Commencement speech on imposter syndrome has more than 18 million views, and her influential TED talk, Teach girls bravery, not perfection, has more than 54 million views globally. Saujani also launched My So-Called Midlife, a podcast with Lemonada Media that quickly entered Apple’s Top 10 show chart, reached #1 in Health and Fitness, and was named one of the best new podcasts of the year by TIME magazine.
Saujani began her career as an attorney and Democratic organizer. She surged onto the political scene as the first Indian American woman to run for U.S. Congress. She lives in New York City with her husband, Nihal, their sons, Shaan and Sai, and their dog Steve.
Learn more about Commencement 2026.