Everything incoming students should know about convocation 2026 at Northeastern University Oakland
The celebratory event brings together students, faculty and university leaders for a formal welcome to the lush, 135-acre campus.
OAKLAND – The 2026 convocation ceremony heralds the beginning of the school year for the largest-ever incoming class of undergraduate students on Northeastern University’s Oakland campus.
“Convocation is a global event that we host welcoming new undergraduate students to the Northeastern experience and the Northeastern campus community,” said Chelsea Kryspin, associate director of academic ceremonies and signature events in the advancement office at Northeastern.
The celebratory event brings together students, faculty and university leaders for a formal welcome to the lush, 135-acre campus, and to introduce newcomers to the wealth of resources, academic opportunities and campus amenities available during the school year. By the end of convocation, this fresh class of Northeastern students will have begun to form connections and friendships with their fellow Huskies that will last throughout their time in Oakland and beyond.
Location and time
Convocation will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 3 p.m. on at Holmgren Meadow, the grassy center of campus and gathering place located between Mills Hall and Adams Plaza. This event will be livestreamed on the NGN website.
The event is mandatory for all incoming students, and while registration is not required, students must bring their Husky ID card for entry.
The ceremony will take place immediately after the highly anticipated Taste of Oakland event at The Oval, a circular lawn on the other side of Mills Hall beneath the El Campanil bell tower, which chimes every quarter hour and can be heard across campus. All new students partake in the Taste of Oakland, a popular yearly fair where they can mingle with one another while sampling food and drinks from nine Oakland restaurant vendors such as Filipino-fusion restaurant Señor Sisig, which serves minced pork inside burritos and over french fries, and Caribbean bakery Cocobreeze, known for its fruit juices and sweet currant rolls. At 2:30 p.m., students will begin to move through the Oval and onto Holmgren Meadow where music will be playing and staff will get students into seating on the Meadow.
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Convocation speakers
Convocation is a chance for Oakland students to start their year by building community with classmates, staff and faculty. During the ceremony, they will hear from a lineup of professors, campus leadership and Northeastern graduates, who will share their Northeastern success stories.
As part of Convocations across the network, the tradition of a torch-lighting ceremony will visually mark the start of undergraduates’ journey.
Oakland convocation speakers will include:
- Dan Sachs, dean of Northeastern’s Oakland campus.
Alumni featured speakers:
- Diego Rivas, a 2016 mechanical engineering graduate who went on to work as an engineer at Google and, currently, as a product manager for its Deepmind AI research lab.
- Abhi Balakrishnan, a 2020 business administration graduate and an initiatives lead on AI and innovation at the World Economic Forum.
- Kelsey Lawler, a 2018 Northeastern finance and international affairs graduate, who works as an operations manager at the Center for AI Safety.
- Kushal Shankar, who earned his computer science master’s degree at Northeastern in 2025 and now works as a software engineer at NVIDIA.
- Madison Oppenheim, a 2024 Northeastern pharmacy PhD graduate, who is now the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program lead pharmacist at MarinHealth Medical Center.
Convocation dress code
Students are encouraged to dress casually for the convocation ceremony and, if they’d like, wear Northeastern gear or red, black and white, the Northeastern colors. The event will take place outdoors, so bringing some protection from the California sunshine is advised.
What happens after convocation?
Undergraduate students are otherwise free after convocation to settle into their dormitories, spend time with new friends and enjoy the campus before their first day of classes on Sept. 9.
In between classes on Sept. 9, students can also take part in several fun social events and activities hosted across campus. They are welcome to drop by Adams Plaza between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to take first day of school photos or sign up for a library tour at 2 p.m. to get acquainted with the wide array of study areas, archival collections and other resources. Students still feeling energized can end their first day by stopping by the Haas Gymnasium, where they can participate in a pickup game of pickleball from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Graduate students are invited to an orientation and welcome event the evening of Sept. 8 in the Graduate School of Business building, room 101, at 6 p.m. There, they will hear from Northeastern leadership about research opportunities, academic programs and additional graduate events.
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