Hackley Commencement Supplement 2023

HACKLEY

As we reflect on the 2022-2023 school year, we are reminded of the incredible ways in which the Hackley community continuously comes together in support of one another. We have witnessed countless inspiring stories of compassion, collective strength and bonds that will last a lifetime. This Commencement Supplement serves as a heartfelt tribute to the power of community and to the people of Hackley. In the pages that follow, please join us in celebrating the Hackley community.

Table of Contents

į To find 2022-2023 photo galleries, please log in to Hackley Online, click on the “Resources” tab, and open the “SmugMug Photos” page. You may also access SmugMug directly at hackleyschool.smugmug.com

The Class of 2023 begins the processional to their Commencement Ceremony held on Pickert Field

The Year in Visual Arts

Elyse Wang ’24 Advanced Studio Art

Brendan Lynch ’23 AP Studio Art

Grayer H ’27 Creative Arts Major

Charlotte F ’28 Seventh Grade Art Minor

Lower

Julia Magliato ’23 AP Studio Art

The Year in Visual Arts

Massimo Soto ’23 AP Studio Art

Charlotte Rotenberg ’24 Advanced Studio Art

Chris Thompson ’23 AP Studio Art

Emily Rifkin ’23 AP Studio Art

Catie O’Rourke ’23 AP Studio Art

Lower School Art Show

The Year in Visual Arts

Sarah Malach ’23 AP Studio Art

Lola F ’27

Eighth Grade Art Minor

Ethan Ohm ’23 AP Studio Art

Leila Haidara ’25 Intermediate Studio Art Major

Hailey Won ’25 Intermediate Studio Art Major

The Year in Visual Arts

Eleanor Neu ’23 AP Studio Art

Colin MacKinnon ’23 AP Studio Art

Middle School Art Show

Lower School Art Show

Gabrielle Kalapoutis ’23 AP Studio Art

24th Annual Upper School Student Art Exhibition

Oren Wildstein ’26

3D Design And Sculpture

Bode Cice ’26 Foundations Of Studio Art

The Year in Performing Arts

Upper School Jazz Combos Winter Concert

Upper School Fall Play “The Tempest”

Upper School Chamber Ensembles Spring Concert

Middle School Choral Spring Concert

5th & 6th Grade Winter Play

Upper School Chorus and Band Spring Concert

Middle School Spring Acting Intensive

Middle School Band Spring Concert

Lower School Winter Concert

3rd & 4th Grade Strings and Tone Chimes Winter Concert

1st Grade Flat Stanley

The Year in Performing Arts

3rd Grade Spanish Cultural Day

Middle School Band Winter Concert

Upper School Spring Musical “Shrek, Jr ”

Upper School Orchestra and Chamber Ensembles Winter Concert

Upper School Jazz Combos Spring Concert

Middle School Strings Winter Concert

Middle School Strings Spring Concert

Middle and Upper Schools Choral Ensembles Winter Concert

2nd Grade Spring Play

Upper School Spring Acting Showcase

Performing Arts Collage Winter Concert

The Year in Athletics

One of the largest teams under Coach Hasslinger’s tenure, the Boys’ Golf team played incredibly well this year, placing second overall in NYSAIS and the Ivy League One player was the first in recent memory to go undefeated in the No 1 position in the Ivy League and another was honored as an All-American

Girls’ Cross Country earned 6th place at the Ivy Championships and 12th place at the NYSAIS Championships

Hackley Baseball had an incredible 9-7 season in the Ivy League, beating all but two schools within the league The grit and determination of the team showed throughout the season

The Varsity Football team finished 3-5 in league play Despite the struggles in the win column, the team showed great spirit all season At the conclusion of the season, five players were selected All-League

In the first year of the Ivy Prep League, the Girls’ Golf team had many exciting matches, ultimately leading to a 1-2-3 record The team competed at the first NYSAIS Championships, taking 5th place overall

Girls’ Foil took 1st in the league with a record of 13-3 and 5th at the ISFL Team Championships; Epee finished 4th in the league with a 5-7 record and placed 5th at the ISFL Team League Championships; and Saber placed 4th in the league with a 7-5 record and 3rd at the ISFL Team Championships

The Hackley Wrestling team went 12-7 and earned a 2nd place finish in the Ivy League and 3rd place at the NYSAIS Championships Hackley also had two Ivy and NYSAIS champions, and three wrestlers qualified for the New York State Federations

Boys’ Cross Country earned 2nd place at the Ivy Championships and 4th place at the NYSAIS Championships One competitor raced at the New York Federation Championships and medaled by finishing 19th out of the best 274 runners in the state

Ivy League champions for the sixth consecutive year, the Boys’ Lacrosse team showed that teamwork and dedication can persevere The score of 9-8 in overtime in favor of Hackley School was the final in the NYSAIS Championships with a victory over Poly Prep Two players were named All-American for the Hornets

Boys’ Varsity Soccer won both the regular season Ivy League title and the NYSAIS post-season tournament for the first time in program history The team had an overall record of 13-4-1 (9-4-1 in league play) and earned the No 1 seed in the NYSAIS tournament

The young Softball team of one junior, three sophomores, six freshmen and two eighth graders found chemistry early in the season and placed second in the Ivy League The Hornets lost 2-0 to Poly Prep in the NYSAIS finals The team’s sophomore pitcher recorded her 567th strikeout

The Boys’ Track and Field team had many notable accomplishments, including one student-athlete breaking two school records (mile and 3200) and another winning the triple jump at the Loucks Games The team placed fourth at the Ivy League Championships

Girls’ Varsity Squash completed a clean sweep in the Ivy League, going undefeated throughout the season At the NYSAIS Finals against Spence, the Hornets lost in a close 4-3 match, with two players coming through with great upsets at the No 2 and No 4 positions At High School Nationals, the team competed in Division Two, where they placed 9th, losing only one match

The Boys’ Varsity Basketball team had an unforgettable 2022-23 season, finishing 16-8 overall and 9-5 in the Ivy League—the program’s best in more than 10 years The team was undefeated in non-Ivy NYSAIS games during the regular season Although their NYSAIS B quarterfinals game and season ended in heartbreaking fashion at the buzzer, the Hornets finished more connected than ever

The Year in Athletics

The Hackley Girls’ Varsity Soccer team had an overall record of 10-5-2, finishing second in a highly competitive Ivy League The team scored a total of 36 goals throughout the season, while allowing only 18 goals The Hornets received the No 3 seed in the NYSAIS tournament and reached the semi-final round

Boys’ Varsity Squash finished with a 15-6 record and was undefeated in the Ivy League during the regular season Two players earned All-Ivy recognitions The team earned the second seed at NYSAIS but came up short, losing a heartbreaker in the semi-finals At High School Nationals, the semifinals match came down to the wire and ended in a 3-4 loss The Hornets ended the season earning third place in Division III

The Boys’ and Girls’ Indoor Track and Field teams placed 5th and 6th, respectively, at the Ivy League Championship meet One week later, the Hornets competed in the NYSAIS Championships, where both teams improved on their overall score One member from the boys’ team and two from the girls’ team went on to represent Hackley at postseason meets, including the New York State Championship and New Balance Indoor Nationals

Girls’ Varsity Basketball ended their season with a record of 16-6, placing 3rd in the Ivy League The team also received the No 3 seed in the NYSAIS tournament The girls started off strong, winning the Columbia Prep tournament, and they never looked back The team also had one girl selected for 1st team All-Ivy League and one for 2nd team All-Ivy League

The Girls’ Swimming team had a stellar season, going 6-2 in dual meets and finishing 2nd in Ivy Championships They established Hackley as a force to be reckoned with At Ivy Championships, Hackley’s strong finish was the result of 13 athletes scoring at finals and all relays placing in the top 3 One swimmer was the Ivy champion in the 200 Freestyle with a time of 1:59 62 Seven athletes qualified for the NYSAIS Championships

Boys’ Tennis won their first Ivy League title in an exciting 3-2 win over Collegiate Both the No 1 singles player and No 1 doubles team received the No 1 seeds in the NYSAIS Championships, respectively placing second and winning the first-ever doubles title for Hackley School

The Varsity Field Hockey team had another successful season, winning their first eight games for the strongest start the team has had in recent memory They ended the season with an 11-3-1 record and were undefeated Ivy League Champions for the eighth straight season, allowing only two goals to be scored against them in Ivy League play The Hornets were runners-up in the NYSAIS tournament

Boys’ Swimming went 0-6 in dual meets this season and placed 6th at Ivy Championships Throughout the season, the team showed tremendous grit and spirit At Ivy Championships, the Hackley 200 Freestyle and 200 Medley Relay teams qualified for finals, finishing in 5th and 7th, respectively

Boys’ Foil finished 1st in the league with a 12-0 record and 1st at the ISFL Team Championships for their fourth consecutive undefeated season Epee finished 5th in the league with a 4-6 record and placed 5th at the ISFL Team League Championships, and Saber finished 1st in the league with a 12-0 record and won the championships

The Girls’ Track and Field team put together great performances this year with many personal bests The team placed 5th overall at the Ivy Championships

Girls’ Lacrosse had another stellar season, going undefeated in the Ivy League and winning their tenth consecutive title The team was focused on the NYSAIS Championships, where they avenged an early season 20-10 loss, beating Rye Country Day School 10-9 The Hornets also had four players named All-Americans

The Girls’ Varsity Tennis team had another strong fall, finishing undefeated and as Ivy League champions for the third consecutive season The team’s top three singles players had fantastic seasons, and the first doubles team finished the season with only two losses Their combination of strong net play and excellent baseline play led them to the finals of the NYSAIS Championships

Fourth Grade Recognition Day

Good morning families, faculty and staff, guests and students as we come together to celebrate the Class of 2031! Thank you all for being here this morning on this beautiful day to take time to celebrate our fourth graders

All year long, the fourth graders have heard about the importance of leadership and being leaders—in their homeroom classes learning about the founding of our country in social studies, visiting Philadelphia as part of their Big Experience, serving as buddies to our youngest students and, recently, presenting their solutions to some of the toughest problems facing our world today. All year long, they’ve heard about the importance of being the “seniors” in the Lower School building, modeling appropriate and respectful behavior for their younger peers and making good choices, even—and especially—when no one is watching.

You took the challenge seriously, fourth graders, and I have enjoyed watching you step confidently into these leadership roles, cheering you on from the sidelines as you sang proudly during the “Americana” play, grabbed your buddies’ hands to climb the bus to the wolf trip, performed exquisitely at the mini-recitals, listened attentively during assemblies and events, or passed the ball to a friend who hadn’t had a chance on the basketball court. You are truly leaders, each of you in your own way. And if I am recalling it correctly, you are the first class ever to move Mrs. Steinberg to tears after the “Americana” play!

Now, fourth graders, as you move onto Middle School, you may be thinking, Oh my goodness, we were just the oldest and now we have to be the youngest again?

The truth is, while you certainly got a lot of practice this year, leadership knows no age. Leadership is about courage, community, friendship and being an upstander. It is about making a hard decision that you know is right, even if other people disagree. Both as individuals and as a collective group, you have so many leadership qualities that will benefit all of the Middle and even Upper Schoolers you are poised to meet in the years to come. I am so happy to have gotten the opportunity to know each of you.

To your teachers, you are readers, history enthusiasts, “Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza” players, technology wizards, compromisers, “Americana” rock stars, environmentalists, kind and caring humans, bright beacons of light and even an aviator.

As you move onto fifth grade, a certain very special Lower School librarian offers the following advice, “Try lots of different types of books in your life. You may not like the book, and that’s OK, but it’s worth trying it out to see if it sparks an interest. You might be surprised!” I love this piece of advice because I think it applies to more than just books! My advice is to travel, try new things, meet new people. You might learn something new with each opportunity. Another teacher offers the following, “With a year full of construction, I told my students to always be loud and proud when speaking. However, this applies to

Director of the Lower School Lisa Oberstein celebrated members of the fourth grade at the Recognition Ceremony held on June 6, 2023

click here for photo gallery  click here to watch the video of the full ceremony youtube

life in general. Be an advocate and always stand up for yourself and others.”

Finally, perhaps the most important advice we would like to offer you is from your Kindergarten buddies. Remember when I said that leadership isn’t about age? Well, listen to their advice and see what you think:

• You’re never alone—always think about your old friends.

• Always make new friends.

• You can be silly—sometimes.

• Stand up for someone.

• Improve, never stop.

• Be a good listener.

• Never give up on your dreams.

• Never stop believing in yourself.

• Be strong.

• Be kind.

• Be brave.

• Be yourself.

Fourth graders, you are deeply cared for and greatly appreciated. You’ve brought so much to our Lower School community, and I am so proud of each of you. I know all of the adults in our community are, too. Speaking of which, I would like the fourth graders to stand and give their grownups and teachers a round of applause for their help and support in getting them to where they are today.

We wish you the absolute best as you “go forth and spread beauty and light” in the Middle School. You will always be “our students,” and we will always be cheering for you.

The Class of 2031 gathers in front of Kathleen Allen Lower School on Recognition Day

Eighth Grade Recognition Day

The Class of 2027 selected Middle School teacher and Eighth Grade Dean Damon Hall as the faculty speaker for the Recognition Ceremony held on June 5, 2023.

Good morning families, faculty and our guests of honor I am honored and excited to be able to deliver some words on this special day for all of you As you celebrate the end of your time in Hackley’s Middle School, I urge you to find a few quiet moments to think back on what you have learned during your time in the Middle School I trust that you have all learned a lot over the past few years—much more than you even know Hopefully you’ve expressed some gratitude to the faculty who have imparted this knowledge to you Right now, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the numerous things you have taught me the last couple of years .

You introduced me to the wondrous pastime of Clash Royale and its best player, Mega Knight. You put me on to the cinematic talent of Jenna Ortega before she hit it big! You have brought me into the world of America’s newest sport, shadowboxing—my hand speed, neck strength and quick reflexes thank you for it. Thank you for all that you have taught me and for giving me the opportunity to speak to you today.

I admit, I did stop to ponder why you chose me to speak. I figured you might expect some of the Hallism sayings I have thrown at you over the last couple of years. “They probably want something a bit silly and fun,” I thought. However, you could be hoping for some serious graduation-style wisdom for the future. Unsure of what path to take, one of my initial thoughts was…what would Leo do? I decided to keep that in the back of my mind while moving forward with two big hopes and wishes I have for your high school future and beyond.

To begin, I’m going to pull the curtain back on one of my more common sayings, “Kids, amirite?” I say this about 20 times a day, to no one in particular, usually after a Middle Schooler does or says something silly. I usually follow this with a slight head shake or a look that says, “You kids drive me crazy.” However—and here is the secret—it’s all an act. I actually love when you say and do ridiculous stuff. It is often one of the highlights of my day! To be clear, I’m not talking about things that you really shouldn’t do—roughhousing, vandalism, saying inappropriate things—but the rest of it, you know what I’m talking about. For instance, in seventh grade, you planned and held a wedding during recess, on a shoestring budget and in no time at all. That’s awesome! Kids, amirite?

As you move into high school, people are going to expect you to mature—and you should. You will have more responsibilities, which can be a bummer, but they’ll come with more freedoms, which you’ll enjoy.

here for photo gallery  click here to watch the video of the full ceremony youtube

You’ll be pulled to take your lives more seriously for a number of reasons. You will surely grow wiser and smarter. You will become young adults—but you can’t let yourself become boring. You’ll miss out on so much! There will be pressure to be too cool for school. Reject this! If you listened to those voices, you never would’ve started the LBA, Hackley’s only Lunchtime Basketball Association, or Elevated Attire, the official wardrobe sponsor of the Class of 2027. If you get invited to another ’80s-themed dance party, don’t be a party pooper. Borrow some clothes from your parents’ closet and dance like no one’s watching. Got an urge to come to school in ski boots, a ski suit and a ski helmet the first week of June? Go for it! Don’t take yourself too seriously and avoid Debbie Downers. You all know how serious life can get, but being true to yourself and seeking out smiles and laughter are always in season. Please, stay silly!

My second hope for you is that you will all grow up to be tough. I think it’s out of style these days to tell kids to be tough. It might be more acceptable to tell you to be attuned to your emotions and to ask for help when you need it. That is good advice, too, but since I think you probably get a fair amount of that, I’ll aim to balance things out just a bit. Those of you who have had me in class have often heard me say “Believe in yourself.”

“Mr. Hall, what if I can’t spell a word?”

“Believe in yourself.”

“Mr. Hall, I can’t find a pencil.”

“Believe in yourself.”

“Mr. Hall, how do you expect us to answer 52 guide questions in two nights?”

“Believe in yourself.”

The Class of 2027 gathers on the Johnson Courtyard steps on Recognition Day

I’m aware that this is annoying. I know that this quote is as basic as it gets. But I really do mean it. The point is that 90% of the time, you have the answers and capability to solve your own problems. Could I or someone else make it easier for you? Of course we could, but why would I want to do that!? Doing things for you that you could do yourself robs you of the feeling of being self-sufficient, capable and resilient. Parents, this advice is for you, too. The corresponding parenting quote is to “prepare the child for the road not the road for the child.” If you chop down all the trees on the path ahead, the kids will never learn to wield the ax themselves. They’ll grow no lumberjack or lumberjill muscles. What a disservice!

Students, it is also important for you to know that you are already tough, and if you don’t think you are, you can be! People will say things that hurt your feelings—intentionally or unintentionally. It can hurt, but know that it won’t break you. Teachers and coaches will give you constructive criticism often. It doesn’t mean they don’t like you or that you’re

incapable. The opposite is true—Believe in yourself! You made it through online learning. You thrived (or survived) in Mr. Maisonet’s history class. None of my lunch detentions broke you! Consider that there are people who make problems, people who are thrown off by problems, and people who solve problems. Be a problem solver! You can get through the tasks ahead of you whether they’re big or small. When times get hard, give yourself a second and tell yourself, “you were built for this!” It may sound silly, but see if it works.

To wrap up, let me say that we’re so excited for you. Whether you are moving on or moving up, the next four years will hold plenty of exciting, challenging and unpredictable experiences. Know that you can smile through hard times and tough them out when you have to. Know that all of the other people in this tent and beyond are here to support you and to push you to be your best. You will make some mistakes and you’ll also do great things. Enjoy the journey and make it your own.

Eighth Grade Recognition Day

The Class of 2027 selected Alberto “Ace” P. ’27 as the student speaker for their Recognition Ceremony held on June 5, 2023

When someone asks me what my favorite thing about Hackley is, I almost always reply, “the community,” which sounds like a bogus answer I mean, come on “The community?” That’s not a real answer That is your brain going on autopilot It’s like when someone says, “What’s your favorite food?” And you say, “pizza ” Or when you are in history class and Mr Maisonet asks you if you have anything to add, and you say, “Someone else covered it already ” It sounds fake, rehearsed—and yet, in spite of that, I have always said it with total sincerity

The truth is, I have always felt that there was something special about the community at this school. I definitely felt it when I first came here in sixth grade—which is pretty impressive since we were all wearing masks and social distancing. That means not only did I not know the names of any of my classmates, I did not know what half of anyone’s face looked like! But, even in spite of that, I felt happy, welcomed and supported all year long.

And then, in seventh grade, another batch of new kids arrived, and the grade welcomed them just as it had welcomed me. Incidentally, seventh grade was also the year that we entered the world of seventh-eighth grade sports, which was fun because anyone could try out any sport—no experience required. It was great.

“You want to try Cross Country? Grab some running shoes.”

“You’re interested in soccer? Strap on some shin guards.”

“You’re curious about fencing? Here’s a sword.”

“I’m sorry, did you say ‘sword?’”

“Yes. Here’s a sword.”

By the time eighth grade rolled around, it felt like we were two-thirds of the way through a Scorsese movie. The schoolwork was hard, but we had finally made it to the top. We were riding high and living large, on top of the Middle School. And, more importantly, it felt like every one of us belonged right here—and we genuinely appreciated each other as individuals. Each one of us was a distinct piece of a puzzle, finally coming together in a perfect arrangement. Too corny?

So that brings me back to my original conundrum— how could I say something so corny and yet mean every word? Then, it occurred to me. When I say “the community,” I’m talking about this community. Our community. This class and all the teachers and

faculty who support us. You are a truly special group of people. I am blown away by your kindness, your friendship, your compassion—KFC for short, as I am contractually obligated to mention as part of my endorsement deal with Kentucky Fried Chicken. KFC: it’s finger-lickin’ good.

Now, from what I’ve heard and what I have seen in movies, we can expect a lot of changes when we go into high school. Things are going to change for the better, but they will also change for the worse. Some things will get more complicated and others will get harder. But in this changing world, I know that there will be one constant, and that is the strength of our community. No matter what, you can always count on these classmates to be there for you, to support you and to treat you with the same kindness they always have. So, before I go, I want to ask one thing of you: keep that connection strong. Hold onto everything that makes you and this grade so exceptional, and everything that makes me proud to be a part of the Class of 2027

Eighth graders Sofia M , Riya M and Caitlin M share a laugh at the Eighth Grade Recognition Ceremony, held on June 5, 2023

The Class of 2023 gathers for a group photo at the start of their final year on the Hilltop

Cum Laude Address

Olivia Zalesin ’13

Olivia Zalesin ’13 offered this year’s Cum Laude Address. A graduate of Pomona College, Olivia was a Fulbright Fellow in France and earned her master’s degree at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government before joining the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service as a Presidential Management Fellow.

Class of 2023, what a pleasure it is to join you on this very special day . I am thrilled to be back on the Hilltop for your Cum Laude induction, and I am particularly happy to be here this year in 2023 as I, myself, graduated from Hackley 10 years ago (almost exactly to the day) .

You are probably all sitting here with a mix of emotions. It’s graduation (how exciting!) but what comes next? I remember that feeling. I remember feeling excited to be done with high school and to move on to the next chapter of my life. But the pages of that next chapter were looking pretty wide open, and staring out into the abyss can be a terrifying thing.

I’d like to tell you a little bit about where I have been for the past 10 years and hopefully impart some helpful advice. Without spoiling all the details just yet, here is what I want you to take away. You don’t need to have it all figured out right now. Sometimes you need to work extra hard to find your people and build your community. And you may never feel like you have it all figured out, but staying open and leaning into uncertainty can take you to some amazing places, and it can be quite a ride.

I came to Hackley as a freshman, and I was fortunate to pretty quickly find my niche. As I am sure some of

the Hackley folks here will recall, I’m a musician, so I played the violin in just about every musical group on campus and I performed in all the Coffeehouses. Music people were my people, and I always felt most at home down in the PAC.

In the classroom, I was pretty obviously a humanities person. History and language classes were my favorite, and whenever I had the chance to dive deep into a subject (an elective on modern Latin America, modern Africa, French literature), I did it. I knew those classes were my thing.

But when it came to looking at colleges and thinking about what I might want to study, I—like most high school seniors—had absolutely no clue. I definitely did not want to be a chemist or a mathematician, I didn’t want to be a historian and I was pretty sure English literature wasn’t for me. Maybe music was the way to go, or maybe something totally different. The choices were endless.

Now, if you know me, I am a bit of a planner, so not knowing what I’d study was indeed a bit stressful as I looked for colleges. But my parents thankfully reassured me that this uncertainty was OK—that I’d figure it out. And I ultimately found the perfect place to figure out my next steps: Pomona College in sunny, southern California. Pomona is a liberal arts college, so I knew it would encourage (and actually require) me to explore. And, most importantly, I knew it would help me build on my Hackley skillset: thinking critically, writing clearly and advocating for myself. It was the perfect choice.

As a freshman, exploration was really the name of the game. In my first semester, I took an international relations course. Before actually attending a class, I thought, this could really be it! I love history, I love to travel—sounds awesome! Turns out, it really wasn’t for me. So I turned to economics, which I found to be a useful tool, but not something I had a deep passion for. Enter politics. Now, this was something special. I connected to my professors and the material, but there was still something missing. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, and then I figured it out. I remember thinking to myself, I love these classes, but we always reach the same conclusion at the end of the semester— Things are bad. And then the class ends.

I needed more. I needed to think about solutions. I needed to find concrete ways to make the world a better place. And then it became clear—public policy analysis was the area for me. So public policy analysis with a concentration in politics became my major, and I zoomed in on education and immigration policy. All the while, I continued taking French classes— not enough to major or minor, but still enough to become fluent. And I kept up with music. I played in the orchestra and found my crowd. I felt like I had somewhat figured it out.

And then senior year of college rolled around, and the world was once again a bit too open. Panic set in. I considered various pathways. Maybe I’d work for a state senator, maybe I’d teach in the United States, maybe I’d work at a think-tank or a non-profit.

I ultimately ended up in a somewhat unexpected position: teaching English at a high school in France as a Fulbright English teaching assistant. It was new and scary. While I’d spent summers teaching at an academic summer program, I didn’t really know what I was doing in the classroom. I had to figure it out. I also had to figure out how to live alone in France, dealing with all the challenges that living far from home can bring. The first few months were exhausting, but I

Upper School classics teacher and Cum Laude Chapter Secretary Chris Sheppard welcomes attendees to the annual Cum Laude Induction Ceremony held in Allen Memorial Hall on June 5, 2023

worked to make it work. I made French friends, joined an orchestra and built myself a community.

The work was worth it. I stayed in France for longer than expected, feeling comfortable in the home I’d built.

But, I ultimately knew that if I wanted to take the next steps in my career, then I needed to get back into the classroom to keep building my policy skills. Enter the abyss once again. I had some big questions to figure out: Should I stay in France and pursue a graduate degree, maybe setting myself up for a career abroad? Or should I head back to the U.S. and keep my options a little bit more open?

In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, I made my way back to the U.S., this time to the Harvard Kennedy School for a masters in public policy. There, I tried to be more focused than I had been at Pomona. I wanted to figure it out immediately, and I was frustrated by the fact that I didn’t have a perfect target job. I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. The target was something vaguely in the realm of education policy, but was it research, advocacy, a PhD? Unclear.

So, I leaned into the fact that sometimes you need to try something out to see if it sticks. Between my first and second years of grad school, I interned at the United States Department of Education in an office that provides grants to improve the educational outcomes of Native Alaskan and Native Hawaiian students.

Lucky for me, it stuck. The job was challenging every day. But collectively working toward a mission created a strong sense of community among my colleagues, and I felt like we together were making a difference.

That experience shaped my next steps. I applied to participate in the Presidential Management Fellows program, which “aims to recruit and develop a cadre of future government leaders drawn from all segments of society.”

Once I was named as a Fellow, I still had to actually find a position in the federal government. And the job options were endless. On top of that, I knew I would have to move to a new city, meet new people and build a new community. The fear started to creep in. I have been here before. But this time, I applied a new outlook and a new approach.

Instead of being scared to move to a new place, I used my tried and true tactic—I did some research, found an orchestra and knew I would be OK. And as I searched for jobs, I made a fundamental choice:

I would not confine my search to education positions. I would remain as open as possible, and I would embrace the uncertainty. I would embrace the idea of discovering something new—a new policy area, a new type of work.

But I wouldn’t compromise on a few things: I wanted to find a job that would challenge me, one where I would be part of a community and one where I would make an impact. And that is exactly what I found.

Today, I serve as a Presidential Management Fellow at the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, and I am inspired every day by my agency’s mission. The mission of FNS is “to increase food security and reduce hunger in partnership with cooperating organizations by

providing children and low-income people access to food, a healthy diet, and nutrition education in a manner that supports American agriculture and inspires public confidence.” It’s a mission that makes me think often of Hackley, where we say: “United, We Help One Another.”

Working together with a community of missiondriven people is what I enjoy most about my job. It gets me up in the morning and makes me want to do

Cum Laude Society

more. That is a feeling I hope all of you will find as you begin your next chapters after Hackley.

I am not 100% sure where the next 10 years will take me, but the last 10 have certainly been an exciting ride. As you leave Hackley this year, I encourage you to lean into the uncertainty, to build communities where you are and to look for opportunities that challenge you and help you grow. I wish you the best of luck, and I hope you know I’m rooting for you. Congratulations!

Jennifer Allan

Nailah Archer

John Churchill

Vihaan Dheer

Caroline “Callie” Duggan

Isabella Fauber

Zara Haider

Akshi Khowala

Benjamin “Ben” Korengold

Ava Lattimore

Fritz Lauerwald

Aaron Lefkovits

Noah Nager

Mason Napach

Eleanor Neu

Shahid “Jaan” Rothschild

Advith Sharma

Ella Sonnenburg

Kirsten Trivell

Hudson Warm

Steven Yu

The 2023 Inductees to Hackley’s Cum Laude Society:

Senior Dinner Address

Upper School English teacher and Twelfth Grade Dean Jenny Leffler was chosen by the Senior class as this year’s Rice Award recipient. She delivered the Senior Dinner Address on June 5, in which she shared anecdotes and takeaways from the pages of her own life story.

First of all, I want to express my gratitude for giving me this honor . I want to begin by thanking the Rice brothers, Tony ’56, Don ’57, Bill ’62 and John ’64 who have endowed this award . Thank you to the Senior Dinner Committee who have done so much to organize this amazing event, especially co-chairs Fran Rowbottom P ’21, ’23 and Sonia Sandhu P ’18, ’23 Thank you to the senior advisors and all of the faculty and staff who have helped this amazing class to make it to tonight—the list is long, and I appreciate all you do every day I wanted to extend a special bit of gratitude to the Senior parents who have been so supportive throughout our time together, but especially during the past few months when things have been particularly difficult for me And, most of all, the guests of honor, the Class of 2023 I am so thankful for you

I feel so honored and humbled to be talking to you tonight at your senior dinner. While there are many people here who have really seen you grow up (your families), I feel like I have had a unique seat for the past four years. When I look out at you tonight, it is hard to remember how far you have come—you are so grown up. You are ready for your next chapter, and while I know that you are probably carrying a whole bunch of emotions about leaving the Hilltop and leaving home, I know you are ready and I know you are going to be great.

As an English teacher and someone who loves books, I often think of things in literary terms. That sounds way fancier than it is—what I mean is that, as my teams know, I often think about a season, for example, as a

story. But what I am thinking about now is that really a season, or any finite amount of time, is just a page or a chapter—not the story as a whole.

A few weeks ago, I went to a museum in Philadelphia for my cousin’s daughter’s 8th birthday. It was a natural history museum, and in one of the rooms, I read about something called a Commonplace Book. The museum defined a Commonplace Book as “a form of notebook that compiles visual or written materials collected or created anew based on individual passion, whim, curiosity and observation. Unlike a journal that relies on personal reflection, commonplace books assemble fragments of inspiration from external sources.”

I was kind of taken by this idea.

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HACKLEY REVIEW COMMENCEMENT SUPPLEMENT 2023

As someone who likes to think of herself as a writer, I really struggle to keep a journal. I have so many journals on my bedside table and have had countless New Year’s Resolutions involving writing every day—it makes almost all of my lists of things I want to do, but I have really never been successful with my followthrough. But this kind of book—where you might collect inspiration from the people around you and then develop it and fit it into your own story—that is really interesting. And in thinking about it the past few weeks, I realize that I actually do that already. Without knowing it, I guess, I do have my own Commonplace Book.

I thought that tonight I might share a few pages from my book with you—some inspirations that I have found and how they help me to frame the pages and chapters of my own life story. Because you know me so well, much of this will probably sound familiar.

Page One:

Lollipop Moments.

I came upon this TED talk by a guy named Drew Dudley several years ago now. In his talk, Dudley tells a story about being an upperclassman in college, walking into the registration area where the new students were standing with their parents, likely nervous and anxious, and handing out lollipops and making jokes to lighten the mood. This was just a small thing to him, in fact something he didn’t even remember doing. About four years later, or maybe even more, he received a note from one of those people, a recipient of his lollipop who thanked him for making her laugh that day when she was having major second thoughts about her college decision and even considered leaving, until he came into the room.

There are two parts to this story—there is the moment with the lollipop, a seemingly small moment that has a huge impact; one person just handing another a lollipop. And there is the second moment—when the recipient reached out years later to share the impact of that small act of kindness.

Dudley talks about the idea that leadership and gratitude go together and that leadership or the ability to change someone’s life for the better isn’t about making huge overtures, which can often feel overwhelming or

impossible to do. Instead, he feels that we can make great change by noticing the little things around us; recognizing when someone might need a metaphorical lollipop to help them get through something challenging or noticing something about a person that they might not see in themselves. And he points out that the moment grows exponentially when the recipient then realizes the impact and lets that person know the result of the original action. I think both parts of this are equally important, and neither is easy.

Mr. Richardson was my junior year high school English teacher. He had a wonderful English accent, a head of white hair, and a white beard and mustache. I remember enjoying his class, but there is one moment that stands out to me. We had read The Grapes of Wrath, a book which in my memory I loved, maybe because of this moment, and he was talking to us about the essay that we had written about the book. Mr. Richardson read an example of a paper that he felt was strong and that illustrated an important point. I was shocked when the small portion of the paper that he read was mine. I can’t imagine that my paper was so great, but what Mr. Richardson gave to me that day was a confidence that literally led me to my job today. I started to think of myself as a writer after that, and I remember it so many years later. Sadly, I have never thanked Mr. Richardson for this—I don’t think I really recognized this moment as being important until much later.

A few years ago, Mr. King walked into my classroom in the middle of a class and he gave me a hug. He told me that he had heard about something that I had done and he wanted to thank me. This moment is an example of the second part of this lollipop moment—a time when someone recognized something that I did that, unbeknownst to me, had a strong impact on someone else. I had no idea what he was thanking me for until he told me more later, but having that moment pointed out by someone who I respect and love as much as Mr. King is just as impactful and meaningful as the initial moment likely was to that recipient.

Making sure you recognize little things in other people, especially when they might need that bolt of confidence or even to just smile, and also letting someone know when they have had a strong impact on you are both really important things to think about. Lollipop moments are definitely things I think about in my work and in my life.

Page Two:

My dad used to say, “Never run for a bus, there is always another one.”

He used to say it as a joke, which I’m sure we rolled our eyes at. However, I think that I have realized something in this statement that he meant, perhaps even without realizing that he meant it.

Now, the reason that my dad said this so often was because he really couldn’t run, and so whenever we would say something like, “I’m going to run out” or “I’m going to jump in the shower”—any figures of speech that included a reference to running or jumping or something like that—he would often respond with this, “never run for a bus, there is always another one.” But what I think he meant was something about him that always inspired me. Regardless of what he was going through or any pain he was experiencing, he was always there for me.

When I was a kid, I loved baseball. On summer nights when it was light out until almost 8 p.m., I would anxiously await my dad’s return from his long day working in the city, with his hour-plus commute each way. As soon as he walked in the door with his signature whistle, I would throw on my Yankee baseball hat and we would go outside to have a catch. Out there, we would practice all sorts of throws, and I would practice the proper pitching stance that he taught me.

This is what I remember—regardless of the fact that he had a long day at work, he was there to play catch with me until the sun went down.

We shared our love of baseball, and he took me to so many Yankee games as a kid—we would always keep score on the scorecards. It wasn’t baseball so much that was important, it was that he made sure he always had the time for me and never made me feel any differently.

Throughout my life, I knew that if there was anything I needed, or even if I just wanted to pick up the phone to give him a call at home or at work, it didn’t matter. He always made me feel like I was the only person he wanted to talk to—he had all the time in the world for me.

Make sure that the people you love feel special and important; make time for even seemingly little things, regardless of what you really have going on. It’s certainly not always easy, especially when you know that you have so many things to do or places you have to be. But when I think about the fact that there is always another bus, it helps me remember what is important.

Emily Koch, Isabella Fauber, Hudson Warm and Mason Napach at the Senior Dinner, held on June 5, 2023

Page Three:

A quotation from the book Wonder: “We carry with us, as human beings, not just the capacity to be kind, but the very choice of kindness.”

I hope you have all read this book, but if you haven’t, I’m giving you an assignment. There are many things that I love about the story, but what it says about kindness is the most important to me. There are a few parts of this quotation that seem vital. First, the idea that “we carry something with us as human beings,” that we all share this capacity to be kind. We, as a species, have the ability to be friendly, to be generous, to be considerate—it is just a part of what we have the capability of doing. But this quotation then says something more—it talks about kindness as a choice, and a choice that we also share. The word “choice” changes this—it means that we have to actively think about and then follow through on this choice. It means that we have agency—it’s not our default mode, but something that we must consciously decide to do.

When I was in high school, I was voted “Most Friendly” in the Senior Superlatives. At the time, all I could think about was how stupid my picture in the yearbook looked—my head was put on a monkey’s body and my hair was so short. I was actually considering showing you the picture from my yearbook—but I decided not to—I’m still, I guess, pretty mortified by it! I didn’t really think much of that “honor” at the time, too

consumed perhaps with the picture and my own selfconsciousness, and truthfully, I haven’t thought about it all that often since then.

But in going back to reflect on my story, I realize that I was then where you are now. Now, so many years after I graduated from high school, I actually feel proud about that “honor” more than embarrassed by it. In fact, it reflects probably the thing I value the most in my life—my relationships and connections with others. In order to foster those relationships and to make sure that they are at the heart of who I am, I know that not only do I need to choose kindness, but I notice when others do as well. Surrounding myself with amazing people—certainly my family (my husband Matt is here tonight); my amazing colleagues who are way more than just people who work with me, a lot of them are dear friends; and you, my students, my players—that has been so important to so many aspects of my story. And I’ve come to realize that the outstanding moments in my life, the ones that catch me by surprise, are due not to a great accomplishment, but to the people who surround me—and oftentimes, that is you.

This is something that I carry with me, as well—finding people who challenge me but also make me better. And people who show up in good times and bad. This is my team. Beth Staropoli was my JV Basketball coach when I was in ninth grade. We had about 40 people on that team—so many that she had to divide us into two

Chris Thompson, Ella Rodriguez, Josephine “Josie” Kelly, Tabitha Jones, Nailah Archer and Hannah Gorevic at the Senior Dinner, held on June 5, 2023

teams: the Stars and the Polis. We were terrible. What I remember most from that ninth grade season is that we practiced almost every day over winter break and we ran more sprints than I had ever run in my life. In fact, when one of our teammates decided to get a haircut instead of coming to practice, we ran even more. Staropoli was tough, even when she was coaching a team of really terrible ninth grade basketball players.

When she became my Varsity Lacrosse coach that spring, we also sprinted after games when we played terribly. I can picture her crouching in the corner of the field making a ball of athletic tape—the bigger the ball, the more we would run. It was never a good sign. But just like in the winter, we did it. We bought in because we loved our team, and we didn’t want to disappoint her.

Like I said, Staropoli was tough, but she also taught me what it meant to be on a team, to be there for others, to experience the highs and the lows together, to show up. There is nothing better than celebrating a victory with your team, but there is also nobody that you would rather be around after a defeat than that same team. From Staropoli, I [also] learned that teams aren’t just there for you on the field or the court. In the spring of my senior year, one of my best friends was really struggling with her home life and her mental health—things were pretty bad. She was not in a good place. We were really worried about her and

didn’t know what to do. I remember being at an endof-year lacrosse party, and after most people had left, she had a bit of a breakdown. She ran into the woods and we were terrified. We didn’t know what to do, so we called Staropoli and, within minutes, she was back at the house. It wasn’t that Staropoli had the answers, but she helped us to navigate the situation, to get our friend help and, mostly, she was just there.

Staropoli has been showing up for me for 40 years. Some of you have met her as she comes to our games every once in a while. In fact, she was at our Spring Sting lacrosse game just about a month ago, standing in the pouring rain with my family, watching the game, all the way from her new home in Pennsylvania.

Whether you are talking about a team that competes or just think about the team that gets you through, this is what you want to find—your team.

Choosing kind doesn’t mean you can’t be tough and you can’t have expectations. Instead, it is about showing up, about understanding the generosity of spirit and the value of just making the choice to be there, and letting other people know that you are there.

I know that I carry this with me every day—it’s not always easy to choose kind, to make the choice to show up, but it’s also way harder not to.

Page Four: Clear Eyes, Full Hearts…Can’t Lose.

In ways, the first three pages are summed up in this last one. My Varsity Field Hockey team knows that this quotation is something I love. This quotation from Friday Night Lights is, I think, about optimism and hope. It’s not actually about losing or winning but about making the choice to play and understanding what you get from just being on the field. It’s aspirational.

As I have been thinking about this quotation more and more, my thinking about it has changed a bit. Perhaps we are not always going to be able to have truly clear eyes—for one thing, tears can get in the way, or we might have an obstructed view. Similarly, having a full heart is also really hard. We

are constantly put in situations that threaten that full heart—emotions like jealousy or regret, anger or fear, those are things that can make it impossible to feel that full heart. But maybe it’s the moments that might get in the way that help us to truly see and feel.

My daughter Annabel graduated from Hackley in 2020 —many of you know her! You remember 2020 it was the quarantine spring, your freshman year. As I was writing this speech, I went back to about a million things for inspiration, and I happened upon her Chapel Talk, which was actually given to YOU, since you were the freshmen! I don’t know if any of you remember the talk, or even if any of you heard it, I think we had stopped taking attendance at those Zoom Chapel Talks that took place during our remote lunch period. At the time, the idea of a Chapel Talk being delivered over Zoom seemed like such a sad thing, but it means that I have a recording of it now, which is pretty awesome.

Her talk was our last Chapel Talk, so I think it was about now, during this time of year, the final week of school. Typically, this is the start of all the senior celebrations—as it is for you—but the class of 2020 was stuck at home (as were we all). Hackley did an amazing job and figured out how to have a senior dinner and a graduation, but that didn’t happen until August. At the start of June, there was no thought or assurance that anything like that could happen.

When Annabel gave her Senior Chapel Talk, all she really knew was that her graduating spring looked very different than what she had hoped and expected—what she had seen happen for literally her whole life. And perhaps feeling what she was at that time, Annabel focused her talk on moments in her life when she cried, which was interesting, because I don’t really think of Annabel as a crier.

She started with a quotation from The Office—the whole series, I know, is a page in her own Commonplace Book. The quotation said, ”To beginnings and endings, and to middles, the unsung heroes.” She went on to talk about how hard endings are, but that they are really not endings at all, that they are really just middles— that everything is a middle. And I realized that she said, very poignantly, what I am thinking about, too.

In order to have clear eyes and full hearts, it might be OK to find yourself with tears in your eyes because it means that what you have in front of you is that important, is that meaningful. To cry at the end of a game, win or lose, only shows how much you care. To feel dismayed at goodbyes or to be a bit fearful of something ending only illustrates how much it touched you. Annabel’s words have impacted the way I think about clear eyes and full hearts. It is possible to have clear eyes through tears—in fact those tears might just be necessary to really be able to see clearly and love fully.

Clear eyes and full hearts are, yes, aspirational, but they come from choices you can make. They come from showing up, from recognizing the beauty in the small things, in finding gratitude in the way people make you feel more than in accomplishments and accolades.

Seeing an ending as a middle, the start of something new, as the word Commencement is meant to suggest, puts the value on the chapters, the story that is being written every day.

So, as you are starting a new chapter, you’re not writing a whole new book. Instead, you are continuing to add to your story, to continue to fill your book. You already have a good portion of your foundation—maybe the exposition if we are talking about the story arc—but there is a lot more to go.

While I said at the start of this talk that seeing you now makes it hard to remember where you started this present chapter of your story, I do actually remember you way back in the fall of 2019. Today you were reminded as well about how far you have come, whether you started in Kindergarten or were picked up along the way on the Graduation Walk this morning, I’m sure it brought you back to the beginning of your Hackley story, which, regardless of where you started, was still a middle. And the pictures we saw this morning in the slideshow from ninth grade remind me of just how far you have come and all the things we have been through together. It has been quite a journey, full of things we didn’t even know existed when we started out together—things like spit tests, Zoom classes and meetings, plastic dividers in classrooms, face masks. To think that we didn’t gather as a grade in person for about a year is hard to believe.

I asked you way back at the end of ninth grade to post for me two pictures, one that captured what quarantine looked like and the other that provided a silver lining. I went back to these recently and what I saw were pictures of family and loved ones, pictures of nature and natural beauty, pictures of instruments and artwork—these were part of both your quarantine pictures and your silver linings. They illustrate that you have that capacity to recognize the small things, to focus on the present and not to run for the bus, to choose kindness and see wonder, and to see the world, no matter how hard it might be, with clear eyes and a full heart.

You as a group and each of you as individuals embody so much of what makes up the pages of my book. In many ways, you redefined what it means to “show up,” to be present. You had to choose to show your video in a Zoom meeting, and when we first started gathering in person, I know there was an underlying anxiety about whether it was the right thing to do. In fact, for much of the past four years, you have had to make choices about just showing up—in and out of school. There was a time not too long ago when even the choice to eat at an indoor restaurant was daunting and difficult.

I was the recipient of so much of this from you— particularly in the past few months, which have been among the hardest of my life. You showed up for me in so many ways—certainly in the beautiful flowers

that you sent to me as a class both on the loss of my dad and again on my birthday. Your simple card, “We are grateful for you,” is something that I treasure. You have also shown up for me in the way you embrace the activities we have done—things like the popsicle stick games in the chapel or even the Graduation Walk today. I am so incredibly grateful for you all.

I hope that you feel like you have clear eyes and full hearts tonight. Even if you find yourself looking out through tears or are feeling a little fearful, I hope that you can see how far you have come and how ready you are to keep going, that you know how excited we are to celebrate you and that you feel the love that is surrounding you now and will continue to surround you all week.

So, as you leave the Hilltop and start your next chapter, lean on and develop the pages of your book that you have already written, but lean into what will come next. Keep your eyes open for new inspirations to add to your Commonplace Book that will help you to continue to write your story. But don’t forget to turn back to the pages you’ve already created. You will make some edits along the way, you will add new characters, plot lines, there will definitely be some twists as you continue to fill your book.

Thank you for letting me and letting us be a part of your story. We can’t wait to see what you do next.

Senior Class Representatives (left to right) Ella Rodriguez, Kendyl Flournoy, Avery Leighton, Gabrielle “Gabi” Kalapoutis, Sofia Soares dos Santos, Aaron “Benjamin” Lefkovits, Afsana Dhali, Brendan Lynch, Aidan Aybar, Jennifer Allan, Liam Abraham and Mateen Nassirpour presented the Senior Class Gift to benefit financial aid at Hackley

Class Day Awards

Class Day is a Hackley tradition in which students and faculty gather together to acknowledge the end of another year of growth in “character, scholarship, and accomplishment . ”

The Ron DelMoro Award for Excellence in Teaching

Amanda LeTard

Awarded to a Lower School teacher, nominated by their peers, for excellence in teaching.

Mary Lambos Award

Trevor Ogden

Awarded to a Middle School teacher, nominated by their peers, for excellence in teaching.

Anton & Lydia Rice Inspirational Teaching Award

Jennifer “Jenny” Leffler

Senior Dinner speaker, chosen by the Senior class.

Yearbook Dedication

Jennifer “Jenny” Leffler

Chosen by the Class of 2023

Oscar Kimelman Award

Michelle Crepeau

Voted on by the Class of 2021 and presented to the teacher who has most contributed to their subsequent progress.

The Robert Pickert Award for Coaching Excellence

Steve Frolo

Chosen from employee nominations and selected by the Head of School in consultation with the Leadership Team and the Director of Athletics.

Middle School Subject Awards

Alberto “Ace” P. ’27

English

Shreyas K. ’27

History

Owen S. ’27

Spanish

Layan S. ’27 French

Olivia H. ’27 Latin

Kiran J. ’27 Chinese

Sebastian J. ’27

Art

Alberto “Ace” P. ’27

Chorus

Emmett G. ’27

Instrumental Music

Caitlin M. ’27

Drama

Pauline M. Gillim Library & Reading Award

Olivia H. ’27

Arthur Niles King Science Award

Zachary “Zach” W. ’27

Capt. Charles M. Kelly, Jr. & Ethel Kelly Mathematics Award

John “Jack” L. ’27

Middle School Miller Bowls

Layla K. ’27 Improved Student

Annabella M. ’27 Kindness and Courtesy

Charlotte “Charlie” H. ’27 Enthusiastic Cooperation

Lawrence M. Symmes Award

Alberto “Ace” P. ’27

Presented to the Most Constructive Middle School Student.

The Hilltop Award

Anthony Maisonet

Chosen by the “Lifers” in the Class of 2023

Community Council Award

Aidan Aybar ’23

Awarded to the Council member who made the greatest contribution to the Council’s activities.

Community Music Awards

Daniel Shola-Philips ’23 Band

Tibet Yakut ’23 Chamber Ensembles

Zara Yusaf ’23 Chorus

The Class of 1972 Community Service Awards

Nima Jones ’26

Sophie Huang ’26

9th grade

Hailey Won ’25

10th grade

Kylie Oh ’24

11th grade

The Class of 1972 Award is given to the freshmen, sophomore and junior students who best personify the spirit of service to others — a quintessential Hackley tradition.

Ira Seebacher Scholarship Photography Award

Joseph Reyes ’23

Awarded to the student whose work in photography has over three years achieved the highest distinction in technical skill and artistic vision.

Class of 1938 History Award

Trashgim “Jimmy” Mulosmani ’25

Awarded to a sophomore for the most distinguished essay in History.

Class of 1936 Cup

Charles “Charlie” Perlman ’25

Presented to the outstanding sophomore for distinction in any or all phases.

Albert R. Dupont Award

Nkechi Ude ’26

Presented to the outstanding freshman for distinction in any or all phases.

Lower School students perform at the Class Day Awards ceremony held in the Johnson Center on June 8, 2023

40 HACKLEY REVIEW COMMENCEMENT SUPPLEMENT 2023

US Miller Bowls

Angel Ansah ’23

Improvement of Mind and Attitude

Shahid “Jaan” Rothschild ’23

Kindness and Courtesy

Florangel Guzman ’23

Recognizing Enthusiastic Cooperation

Hackley Bowl

Rowan Pedraza ’24

Outstanding Junior boy

Ashley Currie ’24

Outstanding Junior girl

Junior Subject Book Award

Sabrina Reyes ’24

English

Phoebe Abrahms ’24

History

Samuel “Sam” Sanders ’24

Latin

Geoffrey Huang ’24

Math

Geoffrey Huang ’24

French

Kylie Oh ’24

Spanish

NJ Roc-Sennett ’24

Chinese

Aniketh Arvind ’24

Science

Sophie Ryan ’24

Technology

Allison Chin ’24

Harper Kelsey ’24

Visual Arts

The Benjamin E. Bergen ’96 Award

Peter Roberts ’25

Varsity “H” Award

August “Auggie” T. ’27 Boy-MS Athletics

Emma C. ’27 Girl-MS Athletics

Head of School’s Award

Eleanor Neu ’23

Presented to the student-athlete whose performance, sportsmanship and leadership on and off the athletic field have set an example for all Hackley students to follow.

Class of 1921 Athletic Trophy

Cole Joseph ’23

Awarded by the Athletics Department to a male for distinction in Upper School athletics.

McIlhenny Bowl

Sophia Petriello ’23

Awarded by the Athletics Department to a female for distinction in Upper School athletics.

Eleanor Neu ’23 (center) accepts the Head of School’s Award from Head of School Michael C Wirtz (left) and Director of Athletics Jason Edwards (right)

Mrs. Frederick W. Sherman

Book Prizes

Charlotte Jealous ’23

Classics

Hudson Warm ’23

English

Hudson Warm ’23

Alan Seeger Prize In Writing

Elizabeth Rudge ’23

History

Aaron “Benjamin” Lefkovits ’23

Modern Languages

Vihaan Dheer ’23

Ava Lattimore ’23

Mathematics

Eleanor Neu ’23

Visual Arts

Hannah Gorevic ’23

Performing Arts — Drama

Daniel Shola-Philips ’23

Malcolm Krolick ’23

Technology

Stanley Pennock Prize In Science

Akshi Khowala ’23

Noah Nager ’23

Class of 1963 Charles Tomlinson

Griffes Award

Arushi Kaushik-Chandra ’23

Steven A. Frumkes Award

Esther Choi ’23 For the Friendliest Senior

Valedictorian

Advith Sharma ’23

Salutatorian

Ava Lattimore ’23

Royal A. Clark Memorial Award

Aidan Aybar ’23

Bruce F. Roberts Scholar Athlete Award

John Churchill ’23

Richard Perkins Parker Memorial Cup

Ella Rodriguez ’23

Ella Rodriguez ’23 (right) accepts the Richard Perkins Parker Memorial Cup from Head of School Michael C Wirtz

History teacher Anthony Maisonet walks to accept the Hilltop Award, chosen by the “Lifers” in the Class of 2023

2022–2023 Athletics Awards

Fall Season

Cross Country

BOYS’

MVP

Asher Beck ’24

Coaches Award

Alexander “Alex” Booth ’25

Rookie of the Year

Jasper Quattrone ’25

GIRLS’

MVP

Abigail Nager ’26

Caitlin M. ’27

Coaches Award

Ella Rodriguez ’23

Willow Quattrone ’23

Field Hockey

MVP

Catherine “Catie” O’Rourke ’23

Coaches Award

Lucia Monteleone ’23

Heart Award

Gabrielle “Gabi” Kalapoutis ’23

Unsung Hero

Avery Leighton ’23

Football

Pennock MVP Award

Matthew Kearns ’24

OHM Award – Outstanding Enthusiasm and Dedication

Liam Abraham ’23

Jim Reilly Award-Superior Athleticism and Sportsmanship

William “Will” Rao ’23

Defensive MVP

William “Will” Maier ’23

Offensive MVP

Rafael Green-Arnone ’23

Coaches Award

Walter Hoffman ’23

Samuel “Sam” Rotenberg ’23

Soccer

BOYS’

Most Outstanding Offensive Player

Daniel “Dan” Paridis ’23

Most Outstanding Defensive Player

Caleb Bae ’24

United We Help Award

Aidan Aybar ’23

Character Award

John Churchill ’23

GIRLS’

MVP

Welyn Waterhouse ’23

Sophia Petriello ’23

Coaches Award

Caroline “Callie” Duggan ’23

Animal Award

Elizabeth Rudge ’23

Most Improved

Eleanor Neu ’23

Tennis GIRLS’

MVP

Grace Rainero ’23

Coaches Award

Asahi Goods ’24

Winter Season

Wrestling

MVP – Frederic W. Neilson

Cole Joseph ’23

“Iron Horse” – Hardest Worker

Harper Kelsey ’24

Most Improved Wrestler

Remy Becker ’25

Rookie of the Year

Justin D’Alessio ’26

Squash BOYS’

MVP

Arjun Virk ’25

Most Improved Rami I. ’27

Coaches Award

Shiraz Awan ’24

GIRLS’

MVP

Jiya Dhakad ’26

Coaches Award

Eleanor Neu ’23

Most Improved

Wylie Churchill ’23

Swimming BOYS’

MVP

Colin MacKinnon ’23

Jason Triano Award (Boys’ Coaches Award)

Asher Navas ’25

Most Improved

Beniamino “Ben” Iaderosa ’26

GIRLS’

MVP

Katherine “Kate” M. ’27

Coaches Award

Kirsten Trivell ’23

Most Improved

Lilian “Lily” Adamski ’26

Basketball

BOYS’

MVP

Isaiah Ndzibah ’23

Alexander Grant ’23

Coaches Award

Reece Weinberger ’23

Most Improved Player

Caleb Bae ’24

GIRLS’

MVP

Sophia Petriello ’23

Alessa Mendoza ’24

Coaches Award

Alexandra “Alex” Schiller ’24

Most Improved

Enya Walsh ’24

Fencing BOYS’

MVP

Joshua Lee ’25

Coaches Award

Samuel “Sam” Sanders ’24

Most Improved

Inkosi Brou ’26

GIRLS’

MVP

Zizhuo “Zizi” D. ’27

Coaches Award

Afsana Dhali ’23

Most Improved

Sofia Malhas ’24

Indoor Track

BOYS’

MVP

Asher Beck ’24

Coaches Award

Enrique Ramirez ’24

Rookie of the Year

Jasper Lee ’24

GIRLS’

MVP

Caroline “Callie” Duggan ’23

Coaches Award

Ava Lattimore ’23

Rookie of the Year

Sophie Frazier ’26

Spring Season

Baseball MVP

Aidan Aybar ’23

Rookie of the Year

Andrew Carpenito ’26

Silver Slugger – Silver Trophy

Ronen Fleck ’25

Lacrosse

BOYS’

Hislop Award – MVP

John “Mac” Broaddus ’24

Clifford “Cliff” Chapman ’24

Allen Award

John Churchill ’23

Hoover Award

Remy Becker ’25

GIRLS’

MVP

Brooke Koffler ’25

Lila O’Brien ’24

Coaches Award

Elizabeth Rudge ’23

Golf BOYS’

MVP

Jake Hendelman ’24

Coaches Award

Kiran Marfatia ’23

Mason Napach ’23

Most Improved

Steven Li ’23

GIRLS’

Most Outstanding New Player

Linnéa Boettner ’26

Most Wins

Cydnee Copeland ’24

Lowest Scores to Par

Brooke Matthews ’25

Softball

MVP

Andrea Hegarty ’25

Coaches Award

Gabrielle P. ’27

Most Improved

Ellorie “Elle” Karger ’26

Tennis BOYS’

MVP

Ethan Ohm ’23

Coaches Award

Theodore “Teddy” Roberts ’23

Aaron “Benjamin” Lefkovits ’23

Track & Field

BOYS’

MVP

Asher Beck ’24

Michael “MJ” Abbey ’23

Coaches Award

Baraka Middleton ’24

Rookie of the Year

Beniamino “Ben” Iaderosa ’26

GIRLS’

MVP

Sophie Frazier ’26

Ava Lattimore ’23

Coaches Award

Ella Rodriguez ’23

Rookie of the Year

Emma C. ’27

2022–2023

3x4 Awards

Each year, 3x4 Awards are earned by students who have completed three seasons of sports each year for all four years of Upper School.

3X4 Award Winners

Michael “MJ” Abbey

Liam Abraham

John Churchill

Caroline “Callie” Duggan

Charlotte Jealous

Cameron Jung

Steven Li

Eleanor Neu

Ella Rodriguez

Elizabeth Rudge

Community Council 2022–23

PRESIDENT

Steven Li ’23

VICE PRESIDENT

Ellena “EJ” Regalado ’24

SECRETARY/TREASURER

Edele Brennan ’24

SENIOR CLASS PRESIDENT

Aidan Aybar

SENIOR CLASS REPRESENTATIVES

Angel Ansah and Esther Choi

SENIOR CLASS AGENT

Wylie Churchill

JUNIOR CLASS PRESIDENT

Kylie Oh

JUNIOR CLASS REPRESENTATIVES

Sam Nadol and Hasaan Sajid

JUNIOR CLASS AGENT

John “Mac” Broaddus

SOPHOMORE CLASS PRESIDENT

Rafael Castro

SOPHOMORE CLASS REPRESENTATIVES

Hailey Won and Zachary Berger

SOPHOMORE CLASS AGENT

Jack Magidson

FRESHMAN CLASS PRESIDENT

Abigail Nager

FRESHMAN CLASS REPRESENTATIVES

Beniamino “Ben” Iaderosa and Isabelle Cai

FRESHMAN CLASS AGENT

Fiona Pedraza

BOARD OF MAGISTRATES

Seniors

Ava Lattimore, Mason Napach, Kirsten Trivell, Elizabeth Rudge, Zara Haider, Liam Abraham, Aaron “Benjamin” Lefkovits, Nailah Archer, Aidan Aybar and Julia Steinman

Juniors

Nevin Mital, Alexandra “Alex” Schiller, Asher Beck, Samuel “Sam” Sanders and Katherine Chen

Sophomores

Samantha Reyes, Francesca Jones and Ryan Carpenito

BOARDING REPRESENTATIVES

Shahid “Jaan” Rothschild, Esther Choi, Cameron Jung and Daniel Shola-Philips

MIDDLE SCHOOL PRESIDENT

Alberto “Ace” P. ’27

MIDDLE SCHOOL VICE PRESIDENT

David G. ’27

MIDDLE SCHOOL ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR

Caitlin M. ’27

5TH GRADE REPRESENTATIVES

Zachary J., Benjamin “Ben” S. and Tanner R.

6TH GRADE REPRESENTATIVES

Chizara “Zara” N., Rohan M., Norah M. and Leena S.

7TH GRADE REPRESENTATIVES

Kubrick C., Peyton C., Elleana D., Evelyn W. and Sofia I.

8TH GRADE REPRESENTATIVES

Sophie K., Jonah G. and Nora H.

Commencement

The Salutatory Address

Ava Lattimore ’23

Salutatorian Ava Lattimore ’23 addresses the Class of 2023 during Commencement on June 10, 2023 in a speech called “Breaking it Down,” inspired by author Lydia Davis.

Welcome! It is an honor to speak at Commencement as the Salutatorian of Hackley’s Class of 2023 I would like to thank my parents, Mr King, Mr Wirtz, Ms Coy, my outstanding dean, Ms Leffler, my infinitely supportive advisor, Ms Casper, and all of my incredible teachers Thank you to Buildings and Grounds for making this all possible Thank you to FLIK and the Board of Trustees And, of course, thank you to the Class of 2023 . It was a pleasure to embark on this journey alongside you all .

When asked to speak at Commencement, I reflected on my time at Hackley, breaking down four years of my life into little moments of passing conversations in the hall, entrances and exits of theatrical performances or bus rides home with my teammates. This kind of reflective “breaking down” of my high school experience reminded me of a short story by Lydia Davis called “Break it Down.”

I always seem to find myself rereading “Break it Down” during moments of change, which is why I feel it is a particularly apt inclusion in a welcome speech at Commencement, which is, of course, the start of something new. I realized through some iMessage archaeology that the first time I crossed paths with this story was in the winter of 2021 during a bout of online school. A Hackley theater alum sent it to me, but I have to admit that, at the time, I just

skimmed it. The first time I really read this story was a year later, during the winter of 2022 , after my English teacher recommended it to a friend of mine who recommended it to me.

“Break it Down” is told from the perspective of a man reflecting on his eight-day love affair by attempting to “break down” how much it cost him. The story begins, “He’s sitting there staring at a piece of paper in front of him. He’s trying to break it down. He says:”—and the rest of the story is what he says. The narrative has a bit of a rambling feel to it, with entire paragraphs consisting of single sentences and frequent tangents about love and memory and dreams and questions. So, I understand why my tenth grade self merely skimmed this story and responded in the group chat to which it was sent with a single word: “sad.”

However, I’ve probably read “Break it Down” about 10 times in the past year and a half, and I now am hesitant to use the word “sad” to describe it. With my magically elevated senior vocabulary, I might use the words, “relatable,” “true,” “relevant” and perhaps even “a really good story.” I think one of the wonderful things about “Break it Down” is that you don’t have to be a master at English to take something meaningful away from it. Over the course of the next hour and a half, we will all likely find ourselves in the position of the narrator. Hopefully not in the sense of recovering from an eight-day love affair (though I won’t make any assumptions), but we will all soon be “staring at a piece of paper,” our diploma, and “trying to break it down.”

But how does one go about that, really? Like in “Break it Down,” we could start with how much it cost, in dollars, but that method will quickly fail. Did every day cost the same? What about the hours we weren’t physically in school? Sports games on Randall’s Island and upstate Model UN conferences have to count for something, right? Do we factor in how much we spent at the Tuck or on gas driving our friends home or on our varsity biology T-shirts? Reducing any of these things to a dollar amount just doesn’t cut it.

So perhaps we could try thinking about the tangible items we got out of high school as a way of breaking the years down. Like one of our classmates, we could eat cereal out of our book prize bowl. Or one of our friends might make us a bracelet to celebrate our accomplishments with the beads spelling out “second best.” Despite its humorous quality, I think this bracelet exemplifies how the tangible remnants of high school also fail to adequately break it down. A salutation connotes a welcome, a toast, a speech or even a sense of belonging, none of which can be fully expressed in a bracelet or any tangible item.

Even memories will fade at some point, but I don’t believe that’s necessarily a bad thing. One of my favorite quotes from “Break it Down” reads as follows: “The pictures come to you and you have to hope they won’t lose their life too fast and dry up, though you know they will and that you’ll also forget some of what happened, because already you’re turning up little things that you nearly forgot.” My

hope is not that you all remember everything I said, but that you remember anything this speech made you wonder about. Memories dry up; that’s just the nature of them. But maybe this speech can inspire you to read some Lydia Davis or ask around to find out who ate cereal out of their book prize bowl.

Since we can’t fully break down our high school experience by cost, tangible remnants or even memories, I propose a different way of breaking down the years. Break it down into questions, the nagging little ideas still hovering in your mind. Break it down into book recommendations and mathematical notation you don’t yet understand. I encourage you all not just to reflect on your most vibrant memories of Hackley, but also to think about how your time here might inspire your future inquiries. Questions spawn more questions and are thus infinitely more permanent than a memory or a prize or a dollar.

And since I’m sure you’re all dying to know, “Break it Down” ends like this: “So I’m just thinking about it, how you can go in with $600, more like $1 ,000, and how you can come out with an old shirt.” So, now, I’m just thinking about it—how you can go into high school knowing nothing and how you can come out with a silly bracelet, indispensable friendships and questions to decorate your mind for years to come.

Salutations, congratulations and enjoy Commencement.

The Valedictory Address

Advith Sharma ’23

Valedictorian Advith Sharma ’23 speaks to the Class of 2023 and families during the Commencement Ceremony held on June 10, 2023

Faculty and staff, family members, guests and my fellow graduates, good morning Today is a special day—a lot of celebration of what is, some reflection of what was and some anticipation of what is yet to come The Class of 2023 is here with our hearts full of gratitude

I came to Hackley as a second grader. My parents told me that a Lower School student greeted them and rushed to hold the door open for them during the prospective parents’ tour. This kind gesture convinced them that Hackley was the right choice for our family. Thank you to all the parents here who chose Hackley and made it possible for us to be part of this wonderful family—a family that values friendship and kindness and is always ready to lend a helping hand.

I want to express our deep gratitude to the members of our Hackley family: our fantastic dean, Ms. Leffler, Mr. Wirtz, Mr. King, administrators, staff and, of course, our amazing teachers. They are our cheerleaders in every endeavor, our role models who inspire us to be the best version of ourselves each day, our trusted advisors who are there for us in all the meaningful moments.

I want to acknowledge my classmates. There could not be a more warm, kind and friendly Hackley class than our very own.

We support each other unconditionally, we cheer each other on in our pursuits, we debate each other on ideas and we laugh with each other over shared experiences—we look out for each other every day.

Our whole class finds joy in giving back to the community. We each do it in different ways: tutoring, mentoring, organizing clubs and drives. No matter what we are doing, it’s amazing how much we enjoy being in one another’s company at Stings, at Hudson Scholars get-togethers, in the hallways or the dining hall—the list goes on.

Thank you to Ms. Leffler and our awesome homeroom advisors who helped us create so many memories as a community, from boat building in ninth grade to writing speeches in eleventh grade, cookies and hot chocolate in the Lindsay Room, Chapel Talks and the Graduation Walk. These were some of my favorite moments, and I hope we can all pick out a special one to reflect on today, our first day as Hackley graduates!

One of my favorite Latin mottos is sapere aude, which means “dare to know.” It challenges us to have a mindset open to continuous learning, whether it is learning intellectual skills or learning life skills. At Hackley, we have had our pick of classes across the liberal arts and sciences. We found ways to bridge topics across disciplines and develop an interdisciplinary perspective. We learned to grow as individuals and as a team—in the classroom, in extracurricular clubs, on student councils, in music ensembles and on athletic

teams. We devised new strategies to tackle problems and came out victorious as a team, whether working on trig substitution in calculus, raising funds to meet an ambitious budget in our clubs or getting through our opponents’ defense on athletic fields. Our class is clearly greater than the sum of its parts; our potential is unlimited when we work together.

Our learning experiences have been complex, novel and challenging. While we may not remember every historical figure, formula or vocabulary word we learned, Hackley has bestowed upon us a power to keep up with a rapidly changing world. And this power is learning how to learn. Around Harkness tables in humanities classrooms, we leaned on one another to fill in gaps in our understanding and layer our perspectives. In STEM classrooms, we developed a toolkit that we can apply to any new problem that is sent our way, rather than simply memorize. In research and independent studies, we were empowered by scholarly sources, mentors and the internet to push the boundaries of knowledge. In the arts, we came to appreciate the creativity, interpretation and listening that led to incredibly inspiring outcomes. Of course, when ChatGPT became a thing our senior year, we spent time learning how to use ChatGPT, as well!

Our class is no stranger to difficult realities—we have confronted them within the Hackley community as well as in the global community. We learned to find causes, values and aspirations that resonate with

us in such intimidating and uncertain times. The COVID-19 pandemic began in the Spring of our ninth grade year. Attending school through Zoom and then returning to school with masks, recognizing each other merely through our foreheads and eyes, defined the key phase of our high school years. It was tough to comprehend what “normal” really was. The loyalty and kindness we showed one another, our resilient spirit and ability to share laughter and tears turned out to be the Class of 2023’s very own definition of “normal.” Whatever curveballs life threw at us, we continued to show the same passion for learning and a drive to succeed throughout our four years in the Upper School, and I think we should all be very proud of that. And I know we will continue that way.

As we step away from the Hilltop into the next phase of our lives, I hope we can continue to find people, places and causes that we can seek out in the good times and the not-so-good times. Ultimately, no matter how the world around us looks, by reaching for one another and staying the lifelong learners that we are as a class, we will be prepared to shape it for the better.

So, to my classmates I say, keep daring to know. Let us always stay curious. And let us never forget this passion for knowledge that was fostered here on the Hilltop. Hackley’s sense of community, the close relationships we have nurtured and the lessons we have learned will never leave us. We are and will always be part of this Hackley family. Class of 2023, let us go forth and spread beauty and light.

The Commencement Address

Jenifer Rajkumar ’00

New York State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar ’00 addresses the Class of 2023 and families during the Commencement Ceremony held on June 10, 2023.

Thank you to Head of School Michael Wirtz and Director of the Upper School Andy King, who was my U .S . History teacher here at Hackley . Your educators have one of the most important jobs in this community . They have prepared you to be a force in this world . Let’s give all your educators and teachers a big round of applause!

Congratulations to the 2023 graduating class of Hackley School. This is personal to me because 23 years ago, I was graduating from Hackley myself. It was the year 2000. It was the turn of the century. I was sitting exactly where you sit. I remember exactly where I was sitting on the edge of this crowd. I would tell that 17-year-old girl, it doesn’t matter what anyone says about you, your capabilities or what you can do. It matters what you believe. I would tell my 17-year-old self, “You are powerful.”

As you take your next step, I want you to make me one promise. Promise me that you will always remember how powerful you are. With your one voice, you can do so much.

As the Sufi Poet Rumi said, writing more than 800 years ago: “You have the entire universe inside of you. You are the universe in ecstatic motion. Shine like the whole universe is yours.”

And if you don’t believe you have all that power in you, just look at me. I am standing on this stage as a State Representative today, but when I ran for this position, people said to me, “Jenifer, you’re a nice girl, but you have no shot.” But we won. Not only did we win, we won by the largest margin of any challenger in this entire state. And I made history as the first

South Asian woman ever elected to office in this state. My parents came to this country from India with just $300 and a suitcase. My mom was born in a mud hut in India. And now I have the privilege of being a State Assemblywoman. I am so grateful for this chance, for this opportunity. My parents did something very special. When they came to America, they invested in my education and that gave me the tools, the ability and the passion to succeed. And guess what? Your parents invested in YOUR education and have supported you so that you can succeed. So at this time, I would like everyone to stand up, turn toward your families, and give a big round of applause to the people who invested in you—your parents and parentlike figures. Thank you, parents!

Graduates, this is a major day in your lives. Today I ask you to think: How will you use YOUR power? How will you use your powerful voice in this world?

I have a few suggestions.

First, carpe diem. Who knows what that means? That’s right—that’s Latin for “seize the day.” This moment only comes once. Your life only comes once. So be yourself. Dare to be you. Steve Jobs said it best: Don’t waste your time living someone else’s life. Follow your instincts and passions and be uniquely you. Seize the

day and have the courage to love. It takes courage to be kind and loving, to extend a hand to those in need. If someone is being mistreated or bullied, dare to be the individual who stands up against it. Be an individual. As one of my favorite American poets Robert Frost said in The Road Not Taken, “I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence, two roads diverged in a wood and I—I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference.”

Start being courageous today, because courage is a muscle, and the more you exercise it, the stronger the courage muscle gets and the more courageous things you can do. I used the courage muscle to become a lawyer and decided to be one of only a handful of law school graduates to use that law degree only for the public interest, for helping people. I made the radical decision to direct immigration for the state of New York, securing a lawyer for every immigrant in detention who cannot afford one. I made the courageous decision to show up at an inner-city college and say, “I will teach here.” And when they asked me why, I said, “because I believe I can make a difference here.” I made the decision to uplift women and represented them in a landmark case that became one of the top 10 cases in the world advancing women’s rights. I made the courageous decision to move deep into a South Queens neighborhood and to say, “I will represent the people.” I made the courageous decision to get to know people a lot different than me and to love them. I made the decision to run for office, to one day stand upon a stump and say I want to represent the people. I made the courageous decision to learn whole new fields that I knew nothing about and to become an expert in them. These are the courageous leaps that have made me who I am.

I left my Hackley graduation 23 years ago and decided I was going to be uniquely me. That’s what led me here to this stage today. Now, I challenge all of you to also be uniquely you, to seize the day and to exercise your courage muscle.

Second, be persistent and embrace failure. Failure is just one step in the path to success. Behind every one of my great successes, including making history, are a bunch of failures. Failures are incredible and even exciting learning experiences that can propel you to

success. On my resume, I only list my successes, but the best stories—and some of the most exciting adventures—are on my resume of failures. And you know what? Thomas Edison agrees with me. Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb. When a reporter asked him, “Hey Thomas, how did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Thomas Edison replied, “I did not fail 1,000 times. The lightbulb was an invention that required 1,000 steps.”

In one of my favorite quotes, Michael Jordan said, “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career, I’ve lost 300 games, 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And THAT is why I succeed.”

Third, be humble. I personally have kissed the ground to reach the greatest heights. When you humble yourself before people who are vulnerable, struggling or different than you, amazing results follow. Vulnerable people soon become powerful. You lift them, and then one day, they can lift you, too. Together, we can accomplish anything. When you humble yourself before people who are different from you, treating others with an open heart and mind, you gain insights you never had before. When you’re humble, you become a smarter person. When you’re humble, you become a better learner. Indeed, humbling yourself before your teachers allows you to open yourself up to learning. And knowledge is power. Scientia est potentia. That’s more Latin for you. (I took a lot of Latin at Hackley.)

Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman ever to be elected to the U.S. Congress and run for President. And she was also once a State Assemblywoman in New York, like me. She said, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” If you feel like you’re being excluded or that you don’t belong in “the club,” that you do not belong at the table of power, you should humbly bring your own folding chair to the table. I have done that many times. I did not have a seat at the table, and there were many times I had to bring my own folding chair. But now, I’m elected to office and hopefully my path makes your paths easier. Because you deserve the world, and I am counting on you to fix this world. I believe your generation can cure cancer, end wars, eliminate poverty and save our planet. I did this so that I can lift you up. Together we can accomplish and overcome anything.

Fourth, remember that life is an adventure. Enjoy that adventure every day. Wake up every morning with exhilaration. I have a saying of my own: “I live for the thrills and exhilaration.” (Every morning as I blast my J-Lo or Destiny’s Child.) After two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have learned that every day on this earth is a gift. Make the most of it. Do what makes your spirit soar. Enjoy learning and never let anything take away your joy.

Fifth, live with gratitude every day. Be grateful and remember how lucky you are. In other parts of the

world, young people don’t have water to drink. They live without a roof over their heads and they are not safe, and sometimes they cannot even go to school. We are all so lucky.

Hackley graduates, make your lives EPIC. I ask you all to strive valiantly and dare greatly. I leave you with the words of the great American President Teddy Roosevelt, who talked about being the man or woman in the arena: “It is not the critic who counts—not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming; but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who, at the best knows in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly.”

I am here to help you achieve and dare greatly. Anything is possible from Hackley. You can reinvent yourself. You can be and do whatever you imagine. The sky is the limit for you. You are powerful. And we are counting on you. So, do you promise me you will always remember how powerful you are? Thank you.

Congratulations!

The Upper School Mixed Chorus sings “Homeward Bound” by Marta Keen

Congratulations to the Class of 2023!

Michael Abbey

Liam Abraham

Graham Adams

Jennifer Allan

Diego Allen

Iulia Andrews

Angel Ansah

Nailah Archer

Aidan Aybar

Jaden Bayrooti

Esther Choi

John Churchill

Wylie Churchill

Lysander Denner

Afsana Dhali

Vihaan Dheer

Caroline Duggan

Alexandra Elwell

Paul Evans

Isabella Fauber

Kendyl Flournoy

Rachel Friedberg

Haley Ganzer

Hannah Gorevic

Jatan Goswami

Alexander Grant

Rafael Green-Arnone

Florangel Guzman

Zara Haider

Walter Hoffman

Charlotte Jealous

Tabitha Jones

Cole Joseph

Cameron Jung

Gabrielle Kalapoutis

Arushi Kaushik-Chandra

Josephine Kelly

Akshi Khowala

Kevin Kim

Emily Koch

Benjamin Korengold

Armaan Kotecha

Malcolm Krolick

Ava Lattimore

Fritz Lauerwald

Aaron Lefkovits

Avery Leighton

Steven Li

Brendan Lynch

Colin MacKinnon

Julia Magliato

William Maier

Sarah Malach

Ethan Malik

Kiran Marfatia

Aiden McComiskey

Lucia Monteleone

Noah Nager

Mason Napach

Mateen Nassirpour

Isaiah Ndzibah

Eleanor Neu

Maximilien Ngbokoli

Ethan Ohm

Catherine O’Rourke

Gabriella Parasnis

Daniel Paridis

Sophia Petriello

Willow Quattrone

Grace Rainero

William Rao

Joseph Reyes

Emily Rifkin

Harrison Riopel

Theodore Roberts

Ella Rodriguez

Samuel Rotenberg

Shahid Rothschild

Samantha Rowbottom

Elizabeth Rudge

Arjan Sandhu

Emma Schlifkin

Advith Sharma

Sai Shaw

Daniel Shola-Philips

Sofia Soares dos Santos

Ella Sonnenburg

Massimo Soto

Julia Steinman

Chris Thompson

Kirsten Trivell

Ava Troso

Hudson Warm

Bella Wasserman

Eunice Wasserman-Lom

Welyn Waterhouse

Reece Weinberger

Tibet Yakut

Chloe Yancovich

Steven Yu

Zara Yusaf

Daniel Zampolin

Qishu Zhang

HACKLEY