Seven students named valedictorian at Spelman College

Spelman College just made history in a major way. In a moment sending pride across the entire HBCU community, seven graduating seniors from the Class of 2026 have been named valedictorians after finishing with perfect 4.0 GPAs. The groundbreaking achievement highlights not only the academic excellence thriving at the prestigious Atlanta HBCU but also the unmatched culture of sisterhood, leadership, and Black excellence that continues to define Spelman on a national level.

Known collectively as the “Spelman Seven,” the graduates have become symbols of what is possible when brilliance, discipline, and community collide. From STEM and public health to film, policy, and social justice, the women represent the next generation of changemakers prepared to leave their mark far beyond the classroom. As social media erupted with praise and celebration, many called the accomplishment one of the most iconic academic moments in recent HBCU history—and another reminder of why Spelman College remains a powerhouse for cultivating Black women leaders.

The seven graduates also made up the majority of Spelman’s Top Ten Scholars list, an honor recognizing students “whose academic performance, public service, and global engagement reflect both the institution’s rigorous standards and its mission to shape Black women into leaders.” At Spelman, multiple valedictorians are named whenever more than one graduate earns a perfect 4.0 GPA.

The “Spelman Seven” are Aiyanna Ringo, Alyssa Richardson, Nia-Sarai Perry, Cori’Anna White, Sophia Davis, Mariama Diallo, and Alexis Renae Sims — and each woman brings a story of excellence, resilience, and leadership.

Aiyanna Ringo, a sociology major from New Orleans, Louisiana, is already building a path toward criminal-legal reform. During her time at Spelman, she completed seven internships, including roles with the YMCA of Greater Atlanta as a Georgia Women’s Policy Institute fellow and as a research assistant with the Southern Poverty Law Center in Alabama. Following graduation, Ringo will move to New York to work as a paralegal handling federal criminal court cases with the Federal Defenders of the Eastern District of New York.

Twenty-one-year-old Alyssa Richardson, a biochemistry major from Washington, D.C., focused heavily on clinical, global health, and chemistry research throughout her collegiate career. Her work included research opportunities with the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Cape Town, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Howard University College of Medicine.

Richardson also completed internships at the National Institutes of Health and George Washington University while remaining active in the Spelman Chemistry Club and the Spelman College Glee Club. Continuing her remarkable academic journey, she earned a full-ride scholarship to pursue her medical degree at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Academic excellence is nothing new for Nia-Sarai Perry. The Tallahassee, Florida native previously graduated high school with a 4.6 GPA while simultaneously caring for her mother during her battle with breast cancer. Now earning valedictorian honors for a second time, Perry has her sights set on becoming a corporate attorney. During her time at Spelman, she worked as a business integration and strategy intern for The Walt Disney Company, served as an outreach intern for The King Center, and interned at the Florida State University College of Law. According to UATL, Perry will begin working in private equity at DLA Piper following graduation.

Cori’Anna White earned her valedictorian title while balancing both a major and minor as a political science major and Spanish minor. The Miami native attended Spelman as a Dovey Johnson Roundtree Presidential Scholar and has already built an impressive résumé preparing her for future aspirations in public office. During her time at Spelman, White participated in programs with Harvard Business School, completed internships on Wall Street, and traveled internationally from China to Morocco studying global business practices. After graduation, she will attend Columbia Law School.

Sophia Davis, a Brooklyn native majoring in sociology and anthropology with a minor in Spanish, balanced an intense academic workload while also becoming the first student director of Spelman’s contemporary music ensemble, Noire. Passionate about both environmental justice and the arts, Davis conducted research at the University of California, Berkeley, focused on improving access to clean drinking water in disadvantaged communities. She also worked as a summer intern for the Brooklyn Children’s Theatre and served as an undergraduate research fellow at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Like Davis, Mariama Diallo also hails from Brooklyn, New York, and graduates with double majors in psychology and documentary filmmaking. Throughout her time at Spelman, Diallo emerged as a campus leader, serving as president of the Atlanta University Center Muslim Student Association while also helping revive Spelman’s Big Sister Little Sister Exchange mentorship tradition. In addition to her work as a documentary producer and director, Diallo served as a freelance film coordinator and assistant director for the George Walker Jr. Community Coalition in Brooklyn, where she will return after graduation as executive director.

Closing out the “Spelman Seven” is Alexis Renae Sims, an Atlanta native graduating with double majors in philosophy and political science. Sims served as both a fellow and research assistant for the Spelman College Social Justice Program and worked as a teaching assistant with Common Good Atlanta, an organization helping incarcerated individuals in Georgia prisons access college-level education.

She also interned in the office of Jon Ossoff and worked as a policy and advocacy intern with the American Civil Liberties Union in Atlanta. Following graduation, Sims will pursue a Master of Science in international affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

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