On Thursday, Stanford alumni returned to the Farm .

Reunion Homecoming 2026 saw over 9,000 alumni — primarily from class years with numbers ending in “1” and “6” — return to campus. From the Class of 1966 to the Class of 2021, graduates sat in on lectures from former professors, toured new campus buildings and reunited with old classmates. The reunion, organized by the Stanford Alumni Association (SAA), marked many alumni’s first time back to campus in nearly a decade, with the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting their class years’ previous 2021 reunion. 

The Daily reached out to SAA for comment. 

Class-specific events comprised a huge part of the four-day celebration. Reunions, tailgates and panels provided ample space for alumni to reflect on their time at Stanford. At the 1976 Class Panel, speakers celebrated their 50 year anniversary while mapping out the contours of their unique Stanford experiences. Panelists discussed transformative study abroad experiences, and praised faculty mentors, while emphasizing the relationships they formed at Stanford. 

“[It] was the friendships. They were the pulse of this place,” said Terry Bowerman ’76, a Class of 1976 Reunion co-chair, while introducing the panel. “This weekend is not so much about what we did or where we went, but about who we did it with”

Carl Ho ’76, one of the panel’s moderators, said that fun was another focus of the reunion.

“This year’s theme, the title was ‘All Right Now: From the Farm to Our 50th.’ And the idea was [that] we had fun as students—how did we have fun?” Ho said in an interview with The Daily. 

According to Ho, organizers attempted to diversify the group of panelists. Ho, tasked with selecting the panelists said he wanted to make sure it included a transfer, citing that 10% of his class were transfer students. 

One of the homecoming’s signature events was “America at 250,” which saw Hoover Institution Director Condoleezza Rice, Senator Cory Booker ’91 M.A. ’92 and constitutional history professor Jonathan Gienapp discuss the role of the Constitution in a divided America. Before a packed Memorial Auditorium crowd, Booker and Rice debated governmental Constitutional reforms and discussed the state of American institutions.

“I think we’re going to need to reset our ideals,” said Booker. “[There are] some things that we need to do to reset that democracy.” 

Gienapp, an expert in constitutional history, laid out the Founding Fathers’ vision of America while stressing the importance of education.

“You can’t have a republic without a republican people. You can’t have a democracy without a democratic people,” he said.

Outside of structured events, alumni had the opportunity to relax and connect with classmates during class parties on Friday evening, as well as a series of tailgates on Saturday before Stanford Football’s game against Elon University. Beyond large group gatherings, Reunion Homecoming also featured a variety of smaller events, including yoga, longevity walks and various reunions for academic programs and student organizations. 

Many alumni reflected on the generational differences that come with successive reunions.

“Life impacts people differently at different moments,” Jed Rich ’05 J.D. ’09 told The Daily. “But I would say a lot of those relationships have only grown stronger as we’ve navigated through life transitions, and come to depend on each other as resources when we have to confront things that are new to us.”  

Other alumni emphasized the authenticity of being around college classmates. 

“I feel like these people knew me when I was a child,” Jonathan Dunn ’86 told The Daily. “So there’s not really any need to be posturing…We cut our teeth together.” 

Still, Dunn said the atmosphere of Reunion Homecomings had evolved, as he and his classmates moved to different stages of their lives. 

“I think people here are moving a little bit more slowly with both the physical and vibe thing,” Dunn said. “Previously, it kind of seemed like they were here to party. And this reunion, it’s just kind of hanging out.”  

Stephanie Van Puten ’06 described Reunion Homecoming as “wonderful” — in part thanks to the enduring nature of her friendships. 

“I’m just reminded [of] how beautiful and intentional the designs of campus are,” said Van Puten. “Having 20 year-old friends is amazing.” 

For Aoxue Tang ’16, the reunion was a walk into the past. 

“It’s not very often that I get to come back to campus. So just to relive the memories, when I’m not as stressed — and also to see [and] catch up with a lot of friends I haven’t seen in like 10 years — it’s pretty amazing,” said Tang, who was attending Reunion Homecoming for the first time. 

Many alumni praised Stanford’s spirit of innovation.

“I think seeing how other alumni have made [public service] different parts of their lives — even if it’s not the number one thing they’re doing day-to-day — that is something that’s been uniquely impressive to me about the Stanford community,” said Rich, who praised the ways Stanford alumni have been able make change through a variety of different methods. 

Tang, who founded a sunscreen brand, credited Stanford for exposing her to that entrepreneurial spirit.

“I think I would have never really considered that would be an option for me if I didn’t go to Stanford and see so many students exploring their own startups, and I would never have imagined that could have been a path for me,” she said. “It’ll always be a big part of my life. And I give it a lot of credit for me following my dreams today.”