Dean Lisa Rosen-Metsch announced the valedictorian and salutatorian of the Columbia GS Class of 2026. Meet the salutatorian of the class of 2026, Dual BA graduate Penelope Gelman '26GS!
Penelope graduates from the Dual BA Program Between Sciences Po and Columbia University with two degrees in economics. During her time at Sciences Po, Penelope studied on the Menton campus, which has a regional focus on the Middle East and Mediterranean. There, she also minored in law. Penelope deeply values her international education. To that end, she is fluent in French, and has been learning Arabic throughout her time at university.
Penelope has pursued a range of experiences across economic research, finance, and humanitarian work. She has worked in infrastructure and renewable energy finance, helping to construct financial models for large-scale projects. During her internship with Observatoire Français des Conjonctures Économiques (OFCE), she researched the productivity divergence between the U.S. and Europe, which she later presented at Columbia’s Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Alongside her academic and professional work, she has been deeply engaged in humanitarian initiatives supporting refugee communities, including contributing to business development efforts for a women-led social enterprise in Beirut’s Shatila refugee camp.
Penelope graduates summa cum laude, will be inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and is a member of the GS Honor Society. Admitted to Harvard Law School through the Junior Deferral Program, she intends to spend the two years prior to her matriculation at Harvard Law working in international development and humanitarian assistance.
Read the full announcement here.
