With fewer than 100 days until graduation, the senior class has entered into the home stretch. While many seniors find this moment daunting, recent news regarding the College’s upcoming Commencement reminded the community of the exciting time ahead. Earlier this month, Senior Class President Dylan Sibbit ’26 announced that renowned costume designer Paul Tazewell will be the speaker at Kenyon’s 198th Commencement.

Paul Tazewell is an accomplished costume designer for the theater, film and television industry. Among his most famous film projects are “Wicked,” “Harriet” and Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.” In 2025, Tazewell’s work on “Wicked” earned him the 2025 Academy Award for Best Costume Design, making him the first African American man to win in that category. Tazewell has contributed to a number of Broadway productions, including Hamilton and Death Becomes Her — winning a Tony Award for Best Costume Design in a Musical for both.

Outside of his creative pursuits, Paul Tazewell is the younger brother of Thomas S. Turgeon Professor of Drama and Film Jonathan Tazewell ’84. In an interview with the Collegian, Jonathan Tazewell beamed with pride for his brother. “He has been very courageously outspoken about being a Black gay man in this field, and being recognized for that, and I think it’s important in this moment to have grown, successful people speaking about their identities in ways that are not necessarily to divide but to say, ‘These things do not prevent me from doing what I love to do,’” he said. 

Sibbit announced Paul Tazewell as the 2026 Commencement speaker at Fandango on Feb. 6, after a selection process facilitated by a committee of faculty, staff and upperclassmen. In a message to the Collegian, Sibbit acknowledged Paul Tazewell’s success. “He’s operated at the highest level in theater and film, and I imagine he’ll have something interesting to say about risk-taking and finding your footing in competitive spaces — which feels especially relevant for a class about to graduate and, in some ways, metaphorically jump off a cliff together into whatever comes next.”

Vice President for Student Affairs Celestino Limas echoed Sibbit’s excitement. “His experience with different types of genres, that sort of transferability, very much mirrors the liberal arts,” he said in an interview with the Collegian. “He has to be able to be nimble and be a good storyteller, regardless of what the genre is, and so I think his ability to connect with our students in that perspective will be a really neat thing to watch.”

Several members of the College’s senior class were delighted upon the announcement of Paul Tazewell’s upcoming address. “When Paul Tazewell was revealed, there was a real buzz of excitement, and I’d even say a sense of relief that the speaker is someone whose work is both distinguished, familiar and culturally resonant,” Sibbit noted. Gretchen Lamkin ’26 believes Paul Tazewell will offer insight to upcoming graduates about the ebbs and flows of professional life. “I think that his personal experiences of having to pivot his careers from acting to design will give the recent graduates a more inspirational speech, since his career has highlighted that it’s okay to have things not go as planned,” she said in a message to the Collegian.  

On the morning of May 16, the Kenyon community will gather on the Toan Track at the Lowry Center to celebrate this year’s Commencement ceremony. A complete schedule of the weekend’s activities can be found on Kenyon’s website.