School of Health Tropaia Ceremony Celebrates Class of 2026

Tala Assaf speaks from a podium while faculty sit in rows beside her onstage — Student Tala Assaf (H’26) spoke at this year’s Tropaia Ceremony.

(May 18, 2026) — At the School of Health’s annual Tropaia Ceremony, students, faculty, family and friends celebrated the achievements of the Class of 2026, a group of students who started classes just weeks after the school’s founding.

“Your freshman year was our first year as the School of Health, so this class will go down in history with a footnote,” said Christopher King, PhD, MHSc, FACHE, dean of the School of Health. “You helped shape the nascent stages of our formation — a legacy that we will all cherish.”

Dean King speaks from a podium — Christopher King, PhD, MHSc, FACHE

The May 15 ceremony in Lohrfink Auditorium recognized students who graduated with Latin honors and new honor society inductees, as well as the recipients of departmental honors and awards, the Dean’s Medal, and awards for commitment to service, social justice and cura personalis.

“The mission of the School of Health is to advance the health and well-being of people — locally, nationally, and globally — through innovative research, interdisciplinary education and transformative engagement with communities,” King said. “Our community is composed of students, scholars and practitioners who dream of an equitable and just world where all people, regardless of their differences, can achieve optimal health and well-being.”

Finding a Supportive Community

Tala Assaf speaks from a podium — Tala Assaf (H’26)

When Tala Assaf (H’26) struggled with homesickness in her first semester, the School of Health community helped her find her footing. “I looked into transferring to a school closer to home,” said Assaf, the ceremony’s student speaker. “What changed things for here at Georgetown was this community.”

In her second semester, Assaf connected with classmates who became roommates, close friends, and confidants. “In such a formative time of my life, the support system in the School of Health allowed me to find a family far away from my childhood home in Indiana,” she said.

The recipient of the Outstanding Student Award in Human Science, Assaf will begin the next chapter of her career at Yale School of Medicine, bringing with her the lessons learned at Georgetown. “The School of Health didn’t just give us an outstanding education,” she said. “It truly gave us each other.”