Columbia University School of General Studies

We're proud to celebrate Anaïs Taffin ’28GS, who has been recognized as a 2026–27 Udall Undergraduate Scholar for her commitment to environmental protection, sustainability, and policy.

Anaïs, a -SciencesPo Dual BA student studying sustainable development and political science, works across climate education, regenerative agriculture, and environmental advocacy, demonstrating the impact that dedicated students can have both locally and globally.
Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition! 🌍👏



https://bit.ly/4uK2IvL

Anaïs Taffin '28GS named a 2026–2027 Udall Undergraduate Scholar | School of General Studies Profile Anaïs Taffin '28GS named a 2026–2027 Udall Undergraduate Scholar Congratulations to Sustainable Development major Anaïs Taffin ‘28GS, for becoming a 2026–2027 Udall Undergraduate Scholar! June 03, 2026 A sophomore in the Dual BA Program Between Columbia University and Sciences Po, An...

“GS is built for people who take a different path — full careers, families, lives that don't fit a traditional college timeline. That mission is personal to me.”

For Fulbright recipient Kiet Nguyen ‘26PBPM, that mission is both personal and professional! A United States Marine Corps veteran and Veteran Peer Mentor, Kiet knows how to connect with his community. Now, done with the Postbac Premed program, Kiet will be turning his outreach and research into his Fulbright mission. He will be working at the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Vietnam, pushing to implement technologies that will create substantial impact on lower-resource hospitals.

And the best part—Kiet will be working just a few kilometers from where his mother sold sugarcane, the first steps to her own GS story.

Read more about Kiet’s Fulbright and his GS story:

How One Marine Corps Veteran Will Continue his GS Story as a Fulbright Recipient | School of General Studies Alumni News How One Marine Corps Veteran Will Continue his GS Story as a Fulbright Recipient For Kiet Nguyen ‘26PBPM, a commitment to service, discipline, and honor led him to medicine—now, he will carry his healing mission with him during his Fulbright program in Vietnam. May 28, 2026 As a Unit...

Congratulations to the GSers honored at the 2026 Academic Prizes Ceremony at Faculty House! 💙🎉

Every year, GS honors the highest achieving students for their academic excellence and their commitment to scholarship and research inside the classroom. More than 40 GSers were celebrated this year!

Check out the full list of awardees here:

GS Celebrates Excellence at the 2026 Academic Prizes Ceremony | School of General Studies School News GS Celebrates Excellence at the 2026 Academic Prizes Ceremony Congratulations to the GSers honored at the annual ceremony at Faculty House! June 01, 2026 On Friday, May 15, the School of General Studies (GS) celebrated the 2026 Academic Prizes Ceremony, where high achieving students are....

“The Marines instilled in me a deep service orientation, discipline, and a way of operating under pressure—navigating high-stakes situations as part of a team, making decisions with incomplete and unstructured information, and remaining accountable for what came next.”

And what’s next for Kiet Nguyen ‘26PBPM?

His next mission is taking him to Vietnam as a Fulbright recipient! The Marine Corps veteran will be drawing on his experiences as an Emergency Department research intern at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and GS Veteran Peer Mentor to serve others at the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City.

And in a full-circle moment, he’ll be working just a few kilometers from where his mother once sold sugarcane juice before coming to the U.S. as a refugee, raising four children, and eventually finishing college later in life herself.

“Medicine felt like the most honest continuation of that service, and the role where everything the Marines gave me could now be directed toward the healing mission.”

How One Marine Corps Veteran Will Continue his GS Story as a Fulbright Recipient Alumni News How One Marine Corps Veteran Will Continue his GS Story as a Fulbright Recipient For Kiet Nguyen ‘26PBPM, a commitment to service, discipline, and honor led him to medicine--now, he will carry his healing mission with him during his Fulbrigh...

🎓 ⭐ The Class of 2026 by numbers!

From Honor Society members and U.S. military veterans to first-generation college graduates, the Class of 2026 represents the diversity of the GS experience.

Congratulations to the Class of 2026 and to each of their unique GS stories! https://bit.ly/4fHStDk

Congratulations to our Columbia GS Class of 2026! 🎉

📷 Diane Bondareff & April Renae

“Food has been the language I've used to communicate in print and writing and on TV for the past 20 years now, and I loved it so much,” said Alejandra Ramos ‘26GS. “But when I turned 40, I hit this point where I wanted more depth."

After more than two decades away from school, the unfinished goal of earning her degree never stopped calling to her—and Columbia University kept feeling like the place where it could finally happen. Alongside a flourishing career in television, hosting The Great American Recipe on PBS and appearing regularly on the Today Show, Alejandra pursued courses in creative writing and art history at GS, exploring how art and food become powerful vessels for expression and identity.

Now, she’s celebrating achievements 20 years in the making: graduating with her bachelor’s degree, Phi Beta Kappa honors, and the Dean’s Prize in Creative Writing. This fall, she’ll continue her academic journey at Bard Graduate Center with plans to pursue a PhD in art history.

Her advice for others looking to return to school? Your timeline is your own. “It doesn’t have to be based on everybody else’s ideas of success.”

And Alejandra will also be the first to tell you: “It's very chic to come back to school in your 40s—everyone should do it.”

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A Time of Opportunity: Alejandra Ramos '26GS on Coming Back to School in Her 40s Profile A Time of Opportunity: Alejandra Ramos '26GS on Coming Back to School in Her 40s A longtime voice in food and television, Alejandra Ramos '26GS came to Columbia GS to explore how art, culture, and identity intersect--and to finish the degree she...

“GS gave me more than an education; it gave me community, support, and the ability to imagine a future again.”

After leaving school at 16 to support her family, Batoul (Tooli) Shariah ‘26GS spent years prioritizing survival over education—unsure when, or if, she would return. That changed when she enrolled at the Community College of Philadelphia, setting her on a path to Columbia GS, where she double majored in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies (MESAAS) and human rights.

At Columbia University, she connected her lived experience and Bedouin heritage to her academic work—conducting research in Jordan, amplifying overlooked perspectives, and completing two senior theses.

Now, as she prepares to pursue an MPhil in History at the University of Oxford, Tooli is focused on what comes next: writing histories that have been left out of the archive—especially those of Bedouin women—and creating pathways for young women facing barriers to education and autonomy. “It is my promise that no other girl should have to choose between survival and becoming who she is meant to be.”

Tooli’s journey is a reminder that your path doesn’t have to be traditional to be powerful. 💙

The Dream Didn't End--It Waited Profile The Dream Didn't End--It Waited After years of putting survival first, Batoul (Tooli) Shariah ‘26GS reclaimed her education and is carrying her story into research, advocacy, and graduate study at Oxford. May 07, 2026 “I wake up at 4:00 a.m., fu...

From a promise made to his grandmother during a phone call in prison to building a new future at Columbia GS, Jonathan Wrenn ‘26GS’s journey is one of resilience and transformation. After overcoming incarceration and unimaginable loss, he rebuilt his life through education, first at Germanna Community College and then Columbia University.

Through The Center for Justice at Columbia University and the System-Impacted Scholars student group, Jonathan found both mentorship and a network of peers with shared experiences. These spaces allowed him to be open about his story while working to expand visibility and support for other system-impacted students on campus.

“Columbia GS gave me not only an education, but a community and a sense of direction,” he said.

After graduating, he’ll continue helping others through his work at Rasa, a social impact startup focused on making criminal record clearing more accessible and affordable.

Jonathan’s GS story is proof that where you start doesn’t define where you can go. 💙🦉

Forged in Resilience, Shaped by Purpose at Columbia GS Profile Forged in Resilience, Shaped by Purpose at Columbia GS After years of instability, incarceration, and loss, Jonathan Wrenn ‘26GS rebuilt his life through education. At GS, he found not only direction, but a passion to help others do the same. Ma...