The Lion's Roar Senior Section 2024

2024

by Photo

yan n a h s I Bella

VOL. 40

SENIOR

SECTION

Newton South High School · Newton, MA Est. 1984 · June 6, 2024

CONGRATS

R AR the LION'S

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the lion's roar

Dear Readers, And just like that, it’s over. This day marks a moment in our lives where we close off this chapter, say goodbye to friends and the lives we’ve always known, and take a dangerous leap closer toward tax-paying adulthood. But more importantly, this day marks a moment in our lives where we, for the first time, open ourselves entirely to the world and begin the next of many chapters. The world is ours to conquer, and for that, we say congratulations to the class of 2024!

Seniors, it’s easy to use a blanket statement and say that we’ve overcome arduous circumstances, but, in all honesty, we have. These past 4 years have been a true rollercoaster. We entered 140 Brandeis Rd. (or should we say Lion Drive?) with masks on and absolutely zero social skills. We spent the vast majority of our 4 years flooded with news and the emotions of rampant foreign conflicts. We entered our senior year unsure of the livelihoods of our teachers and the sanctity of our school year. We’ve been through h-e-double hockey sticks and back, but in the wise words of Kelly Clarkson, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Our resilience, passion, and strength are self-cultivated virtues, and we are massively proud to be a part of this incredible class.

Cheers to many more sleepless nights, cop-busted parties, in-class explications, successful talking stages and lifelong memories that don’t just define our high school careers, but build the foundation for the rest of our lives.

To our readers and our community, thank you for everything. As the sole print newspaper in Newton, we are honored to share your stories and provide you with (somewhat) timely briefings of the incredible and not-so-incredible things that have occurred. Our mission is not only to inform but to be a first-hand account of the history that is currently being written. We seek to capture the zeitgeist and without your constant support, our efforts would be in vain. Thank you for reading our articles even if you are not a part of the Newton South Community™. Thank you for picking up our articles off the floor and only doing the crossword (we still appreciate it). But most of all, thank you for always doing cool things and allowing our freshmen trainees to interview you. If y’all didn’t, we would be out of business.

Volume 40 staff, where should we even begin? Room 1201 has seen it all. Thanks for sticking with us through the epic highs and lows of high school journalism, from the happy tears shed at the birth of our first paper, to the emotional tears shed on the NSPA hotel floor/bed, respectively. We could not have asked for a better group of people to do it all with. You all have grown into incredible writers, storytellers, and curious humans part of this community. We know that you all will continue to do amazing things, and we encourage you all to have the most fun with this glorious club. While we’re at it, our emails are bella.ishanyan@gmail.com and emma.zhang2016@gmail.com.

We’ll see you in the inbox.

Volume 41 staff, we know that Roar is in such brilliant hands. We can’t wait to see the wonderful things you’ll cook up, and we’ll be cheering you on every issue, every paste-up and send-up, every NSPA and every step of the way. Perhaps we’ll even run into you on another one of our routine Pressed visits? The future of Roar is so bright.

Long live Leonna, and — hot tip — PLEASE keep track of your own finances (also, keep the hidden Roar stash locked and loaded ;)).

So CONGRATULATIONS to the Class of 2024, and cheers to everything to come!

Signing off, Stay so safe, Have a good one, Its been so real, Volume XL Senior Staff Seniors Bella Ishanyan and Emma Zhang design and content by Bella Ishanyan, John Timko & Emma Zhang cover models: Cate Mahoney, Gabe Lieberman & Diego (DJ BOOF) Mobarak

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Dear Bella, We are so proud of your unstoppable energy and all that you have contributed to our communities and lives. We know that this is just the beginning.

Love, Mom, Dad, Sabrina & Kufta

Congratulations Emma! We love you so much, and we are so very proud of you! Stay sweet and passionate about everything you do.

Love, Best of luck with all your new adventures!

Mom, Dad and Emily

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Henry, We are so proud of you.

Keep following your own path!

Enjoy your adventures.

Love, Mom, Dad, Jaden, Kramer & Lucky

Congratulations Elliot Heywood & the Class of 2024 You are going places!

Love from Mom, Dad, Samantha, Julia & Tikka

Congratulations to Sylvia - and the entire NSHS Class of 2024! We are incredibly impressed by your tenacity, hard work, and accomplishments.

Time to celebrate!!!

Love, The Forrest Family

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Congratulations, John!

We are so proud of you and look forward to the many new and incredible adventures ahead.

Love, Mom, Dad & Thomas

Congratulations Elias

You've had a rich high school experience and we're excited for you as you embark on the next chapter in college.

Carpe Diem!

Love, Mom, Dad, Alex, Hannah & Ben

Congratulations, Hannah!

We are so proud of you and all you have accomplished. Simply put ̶ you are amazing! Good luck at William & Mary and enjoy the adventures to come. We love you!

Love, Mom, Dad and Megan

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CONGRATULATIONS, CATIE!

Mazel Tov Naomi!

So excited for UVM and the future!

We are so proud of you and all that you have accomplished!

We can't wait to see where your future leads!

Love, Mom, Dad, Brendan, and Corbin

Congratulations

Aniyah!

Love, the Hines family

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Renee, Congratulations on your high school graduation! We are so incredibly proud of everything you’ve accomplished and the amazing person you’ve become. As you continue on a new journey, may you find endless opportunities, discover your passions, and achieve all your hopes and dreams. Remember, this is just the beginning of an incredible adventure. Best wishes for a bright and successful future ahead!

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LOOKING FOR A GREAT WAY TO THANK A TEACHER OR SCHOOL STAFF MEMBER? Show your appreciation to the teachers or other school staff who have made a difference in your student’s life by making a gift in their name to Newton Schools Foundation!

Say “Thank you” (while also complying with NPS’ gift policy).

Newton Schools Foundation supports grants that fund new approaches in the classroom, professional development for teachers, and programs that promote equity for all students.

Scan to learn more! bit.ly/NSF_HTT

NewtonSchoolsFoundation.org

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Congratulations Alex!

We can't wait to hear about your Colorado adventures!

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Congratulations Ivan and the Class of 2024!

Love, Mom and Grandma

XOXO, Mom, Dad, Charlotte, Erin and the Grammas

Congratulations, Ellie!

"The best way to predict your future is to create it."

We are proud of you and are cheering for you always!

Reese- We are so proud of your accomplishments and look forward to seeing what you’ll do next.

Congratulations!

Love, Mom, Dad, Arielle, Skyler, and Sunny

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Congratulations David and Richard!

With love and pride today and always, Mom and Dad.

Congratulations Caspian! It’s hard to believe you will be going off to college soon! It’s been wonderful seeing you grow up to become the person you are today. We are proud of you and are excited for what the future holds! We love you very much and truly are your biggest fans!

Love, Mom, Dad, Sofia and Stella

We are so proud of you and all you have accomplished along the way! We cannot wait to see where the next adventure takes you.

Sandrine Martinez

Love, Mom, Dad, Vladimiro and Moby

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Off They Go

Senior P

Washington Seattle University

Hannah Valiente-Verhulst

Oregon George Fox Univ.

Nate Hamilton

Reed College Sam Pomerantz

California UC Berkeley Phoebe Anthony

UC Davis Haley Kim

UCLA

Utah

UCSC

University of Utah

Julia Feldman Elliot Heywood

Eli Varnum

Sandrine Martinez

USC

Colorado Univ. of Colorado Boulder Kendra Manie Kyrah Mar

Max Raffel

Colorado School of Mines Alex Ottmer

Colorado College

UCSD

Charlie Hughes Adam Levin Suvi Talvite

Ellen Vaynberg

Scripps

Marley Wiener

Arizona University of Arizona Izunna Anigbogu

International

Danny Aldehneh Timothy Cheng Mia Dror Andrew Hill Lia Kaplan Aaron Lu Alexandra Martin

Cole Boerner Ari Clark John DeBrito Dylan Kadish

Other

Tejal Kasture Jack Lu Jett O'Connor Riyanna Ufland

Trade School Gwen Connor Joaquin Flores Herrera

Texas

Diego Mobarak Gabby Priddis David Qiu Eli Rybnikova Julia Shapiro Max Vallmitjana Agullo

Caleb Johnson Roger Lehr

Southern Methodis University Chutian Wu

Gap Year Briana Butera Lia Kaplan Henry Kindermann Henry Kominik Vida Luckett

Adam Rotberg Mia Shahal-Schiffer Jasmine Smargiassi Ilana Sternburg

Military Nathan Arguello Asker Maehlisen

Sophie Turney

o

New York Columbia Univ.

Fordham University

Barnard College

Cate Mahoney Kevin Butler

Plans 2024

st

Sarah Lawrence Coll. Skidmore College

Colgate University Gavin Coull Spencer Solcoff John Timko

Binghampton Univ.

Addie Abrams

Pennsylvania

Penn State Univ.

Lexi Cooke Elias King

Bucknell University

Minnesota

Sofia DeCosta Elias Kiritsy

Macalester Coll.

Paxton Boyd

Wisconsin Univ. of Wisconsin Chanel DiLoreto Samuel La Camera Enya Vahey

Illinois Northwestern Univ.

Bryan Baumer Claire Ruan Jonathan Wei

Univ. of Chicago

Missouri

Leah Vashevko

WashU

Lana Mello Ilan Sherman-Kadish Hayne Song Sophie Song

Michigan Univ. of Michigan Julia Arboleda Adrienne Lirio Kai van Beever

Indiana Purdue University Charlie Brail Lara Karsligil Stephanie Morin Eddie So

Tennessee

Alabama Auburn University Liam Healy

Louisiana Tulane University Vitoria Brokhof Zach Rhein Alex Sprung

Univ. of Pennsylvania Ben Kogan Abigail Shin Tim Shine Abby Ustayev

Lafayette College

Case Western Reserve Univ.

Villanova Univ.

Mateo Berger Oyola Weber Chen Harper Smyth

Lila DeAvila Nick Gilo

Ariana Bhargava

Pratt Institute

Marist College

Michaela Friedlander Anna Kladova

Miles Danila-Schmidt

of Rochester Cornell University Univ.

Liam Sakakeeny Raj Brodie Noah Li

Ithaca College Nadia Mustafa Lucy Marcus

RPI

Meir Khitrenovich

School of Visual Arts St. Lawrence Univ.

Linda Liu Sabina Uribe

Benjamin Dietrich Lukas Boyce

Hamilton College

Syracuse University

Grace Johnson

Culinary Institute of America Max Evans

Vard College Joe Faulkner

Lehigh University Stony Brook Univ.

Sam Johnson

Ben Miner

Alyssa Haidar

Maggie Schofield Darian Firoozabadi

New York University Kevin Chen Matthew Krintzman Caspian Madsen Aimee Pan Yoonchul Shin

Ohio State Univ. Haverford College Tommy Fitzgerald Jane Jakubowski Henrik Kekalainen Edward Maklin Jocelyn Woods

Denison University Adair Smyth Graham Tonkonogy

Univ. of Cincinnati Anna Wright-Lee

Ian Brenner Hannah Tarmy Michael Wiener

Andrew Loo

Drexel University Cam McAllister

New Jersey

Temple University

Princeton University

Virginia

Raina Bornstein Ben Diner Shir Ivanier Hannah Lim

Imani Laird

Virginia Tech Amethyst Ryan

Clemson Univ.

Angelina DePalma Alec Sussman Sophia Utano

Elon University Sophie Lee Bella Ross

Aviad Elyashiv Talia Kalis Owen Serra Maya Shammay Matthew Zhou

Hopkins Univ.

Wake Forest Univ. Johns Michael Chang Daniel Yosubash

Matthew Zeng

Morgan State Univ.

Amirah Pitts

Washington D.C. George Washington University Ellie Gish Caroline Kay Ainoa Nashat Grace Santos Ella Viti

Alon Mileguir

Florida Arthur Cordeiro Marquez Charlie Quirk Jacob Tomaneng

Maddie Lewis Izzy Wilson

South Carolina

Georgia Tech

Univ. of Tampa

Maryland

Hampton University University of Richmond Univ. of Maryland

Emma Zhang

Emory University

Rutgers University Avery Hamilton

Duke University

Georgia

Nora Linssen

Jack Cowhig Tariq Masoud Timmy Trotman

North Carolina

Vanderbilt Univ.

Misha Goldfarb Claire Lee Miles Pearlman

Freya Munshi

Ohio

Indiana University William and Mary Evan Ng Matt O'Toole Nir Stein

Univ. of Pittsburgh

Seth Korn Basil Hooper Arianna Levitan

Univ. of Florida Ali Abouhilal Vanessa Namakula

University of Miami Gabe Lieberman Daniel Zaslavski

Georgetown Univ.

Bella Fankhauser Reese Pinto

Howard Univ.

Chelize Foster Jada Green

Off They Go

Senior Plans 2024, Continued...

Maine Colby College Catie Corkery Neil Giesser

Bowdoin College

Vermont Middlebury College

Sienna Masood Ben Perman

University of Vermont

Sarah Hayward Aditya Kothari

New Hampshire

Esther Dansinger Wyatt Grieb Meg Henson August Karrenberg Naomi Weitzman Michael Welch Dillon Woods

Dartmouth College

Kaveri Krishnamoorthy

University of New Hampshire Luca Del Porto John Robertson

Rhode Island Bryant University Ian Ellis Max Kamen Michael Kokovidis

Connecticut Sacred Heart University

University of New Haven

Ally Cohen

Jaelyn Baldon

Connecticut College Priya Aggarwal Grace Sousa

Yale University Taban Malihi

Trinity College Ryan Kam

University of Connecticut

Roger Williams University

Juliana Gomez Reynoso Donna Shirasb Tamar Yeret Alice Zou

Jalen Ortiz

Johnson & Wales University Barak Clemons Simone Foley Courtney Martin

Rhode Island School of Design Zach Avinoam Violet Goldstein Jack Liu

Quinnipiac University Alex Laurie

Massachusetts Boston College University of Massachusetts Amherst Nick Cogan Susan Hong Max Pessanha Alp Sonmez Cory Williams Marcus Ye Jiewen Zhong

Wellesley College Grace Cai Andrea Tang Sophia Wu

Maayan Levy Christian Chau Andrew Luo Tiffany Chin Sacha Najafi Reese Cote Richard Qiu Will Cotter Caelan Quadra James Dandrea Carina Santucci Servio Garcia Eric Shen Keith Hanson Hailey Smith Bella Ishanyan Nate Smith-Michaels Rohan Iyengar Preslava Tchesnovsky Tim Kasyanov Allison Wu Markey Khrapunovich Brandon Yee Amit Kopolovic Chris Yee Lani Lee

Bentley University Wheaton College Emerson College Lisa Ofir

Stonehill College Anjan Rayavarapu

MIT

Jonas Cohen

Berklee College of Music

Elena Baskakova

Angelina Tang Jared Wang

Fisher College

Williams College

Sierra Rogers

Max Harthorne

Ava Gordon Robbie Jones Avi Kuperman Greer Wheeler

Westfield State University Kevin Fisher Rachel Fisher

Mass Bay Community College Ivan Estes

UMass Lowell Lea Afonkin Patrick Lin Elliott Longo

Simmons University Lilly Costanzo

Boston University Noa Handelsman Yana Kane Anna Kuo Liza Odikadze Elyssa Rosen Marcelo Villafuerte Sasha Vorobyov Zoe Zalkind Katelyn Zhao

Amherst College Ellie Jolly Nathaniel Scharf

Tufts University

Liv Carpenito-Kronenfeld Denise Chan Ethan Cheng Sylvia Forrest June Kim Zoe Hong Connor Huang Jacob Massoff Kira Yoshida Alex Zheng

Babson College

Fabricio Gonzalez Estrella Eleanor Skabeev

WPI

Sylvia Jacobs

Brandeis University Aaron Chen Austin Han Eric Li Ben Nakash-Kadener

Olin College of Engineering Jack Wei

Wentworth Institute of Technology Jake Goldman Liam Goldman

Emmanuel College David Efendiyev

Curry College

Harvard College Neena Tarafdar Ishaan Tewari Sara Tomas Kevin Yang

Endicott College Amanda Cosgrove

Eleni Koutounidis Anastasia Senfuma Nicole Senfuma

Alessandra Nagarajan Darya Rostami

Clark University

MCPHS

Max McGary

Suffolk University

Lisa Liu

Northeastern University

Ameer Almedhychy Jacob Copelotti Emma DeCosta Philip Elbert Renee Gilman Charlie Kouspakian Ryan Leonard Zachary Li Diya Misra

Ema Morgovsky Joshua Moshes Alexandra Ossipian Jazmin Shaar Henry Thoennes Greg Tinkjian Zach Weiss Ender Widder Kayla Woo

page 15 | senior section

Ali Abouhilal University of Florida Addie Abrams Binghampton University Lea Afonkin UMass Lowell Priya Aggarwal Connecticut College Danny Aldehneh Rochester Institute of Technology in Dubai

the lion's roar Nailasia Brown Briana Butera gap year Kevin Butler Fordham University Grace Cai Wellesley College Liv Carpenito-Kronenfeld Tufts University Anastasia Cassidy

Amanda Cosgrove Endicott College

Darian Firoozabadi Syracuse University

Alyssa Haidar Stony Brook University then Northeastern

Ellie Jolly Amherst College

Lilly Costanzo Simmons University

Kevin Fisher Westfield State University

Leen Hajjar

Robbie Jones Emerson College

Reese Cote UMass Amherst

Rachel Fisher Westfield State University

Avery Hamilton Rutgers University

Will Cotter UMass Amherst

Tommy Fitzgerald Ohio State University

Nate Hamilton George Fox University

Gavin Coull Colgate University

Joaquin Flores Herrera Boston Academy of Pilots

Austin Han Brandeis University

Simone Foley Johnson & Wales University

Noa Handelsman Boston University

Ayame Allan

Ben Chaftez

Jack Cowhig Temple University

Ameer Almedhychy Northeastern University

Denise Chan Tufts University

James Dandrea UMass Amherst

Sylvia Forrest Tufts University

Keith Hanson UMass Amherst

Betina Alves

Jason Chan Suffolk University

Miles Danila-Schmidt Marist College

Chelize Foster Howard University

Max Harthorne Williams College

Hazel Chang

Esther Dansinger University of Vermont

Amber Freiman-Polli

Sarah Hayward Middlebury College

Izunna Anigbogu University of Arizona Abdul Ansari Phoebe Anthony UC Berkeley Julia Arboleda University of Michigan Nathan Arguello Military Zach Avinoam Rhode Island School of Design

JunWon Chang Michael Chang Johns Hopkins University

Hewitt De Vlieger Lila DeAvila Lafayette College

Christian Chau UMass Amherst

John DeBrito

Aaron Chen Brandeis University

Emma DeCosta Northeastern University

Weber Chen Case Western Reserve University

Sofia DeCosta Bucknell University

Olivia French Michaela Friedlander Pratt Institute

Renee Gilman Northeastern University

Layth Hlail

Caroline Kay George Washington University

Bryan Baumer Northwestern University

Tiffany Chin UMass Amherst

Chanel DiLoreto University of Wisconsin

Eduardo Chirico

Ben Diner Emory University

Jake Goldman Wentworth Institute of Technology

Mia Dror Reichman University

Liam Goldman Wentworth Institute of Technology

Raina Bornstein Emory University David Borokhov

Nick Cogan Boston College Ally Cohen Sacred Heart University

Nick Gilo Villanova University Ellie Gish George Washington University Misha Goldfarb Vanderbilt University

David Efendiyev Emmanuel College

Violet Goldstein Rhode Island School of Philip Elbert Design Northeastern University Ian Ellis Bryant University

Lara Karsligil Purdue University

Andrew Hill Concordia University

Benjamin Dietrich St. Lawrence University

Cole Boerner Kimball Union Academy

August Karrenberg University of Vermont

Neil Giesser Colby College

Timothy Cheng University of Adelaide

Barak Clemons Johnson and Wales University

Lia Kaplan Gap Year

Tim Kasyanov UMass Amherst

Elena Baskakova Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Ariana Bhargava Barnard College

Yana Kane Boston University

Elliot Heywood UCLA

Angelina DePalma Clemson University

Ari Clark Internship

Max Kamen Bryant University

Servio Garcia UMass Amherst

Ethan Cheng Tufts University

Mateo Berger Oyola Case Western Reserve University

Ryan Kam Trinity College

Meg Henson University of Vermont

Kevin Chen New York University

Jaelyn Baldon University of New Haven

Talia Kalis University of Maryland

Juju Garcia

Luca Del Porto University of New Hampshire

London Balan

Liam Healy Auburn University

Dylan Kadish Northfield Mount Hermon

Nia Gomes

Susan Hong Boston College

Tejal Kasture

Henrik Kekalainen Ohio State University

Zoe Hong Tufts University

Meir Khitrenovich Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Basil Hooper Skidmore College

Markey Khrapunovich UMass Amherst

Connor Huang Tufts University

Ethan Kim

Charlie Hughes Colorado College

Haley Kim UC Davis

Henry Hysenaj

June Kim Tufts University

Bella Ishanyan UMass Amherst

Yohan Kim

Shir Ivanier Emory University Rohan Iyengar UMass Amherst

Juliana Gomez Reynoso Sylvia Jacobs University of Connecticut Worcester Polytechnic Lukas Boyce Aviad Elyashiv Jonas Cohen St. Lawrence University University of Maryland Institute Wheaton College Fabricio Gonzalez Estrella Babson College Paxton Boyd Ivan Estes Jane Jakubowski Gwen Connor Macalester College Mass Bay Community Ohio State University Trade school College Ava Gordon Emerson College Charlie Brail Peter Jiang Lexi Cooke Purdue University Max Evans Penn State University Culinary Institute of Taiga Goto Caleb Johnson America Ian Brenner Trade School Jake Copelotti William and Mary Christopher Gordeau Northeastern University College Bella Fankhauser Grace Johnson Georgetown University Jada Green Hamilton College Arthur Cordeiro Marquez Raj Brodie Howard University University of Tampa Cornell University Joe Faulkner Isaiah Johnson Vard College Catie Corkery Wyatt Grieb Vitoria Brokhof University of Vermont Sam Johnson Colby College Julia Feldman Lehigh University Tulane University UCLA Rafael Guedes

Henry Kindermann Gap year Elias King Penn State University Elias Kiritsy Bucknell University Anna Kladova Pratt Institute Ben Kogan University of Pennsylvania Arnaud Kohler Boston University Michael Kokovidis Bryant University Henry Kominik Gap year

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senior section | page 16

Amit Kopolovic UMass Amherst

Hannah Lim Emory University

Jacob Massoff Tufts University

Seth Korn Skidmore College

Patrick Lin UMass Lowell

Jess Matatall Merrimack College

Aditya Kothari Middlebury College

Nora Linssen Princeton University

Isabella Maya

Charlie Kouspakian Adrienne Lirio Northeastern University University of Michigan Eleni Koutounidis Curry College Matthew Krintzman New York University

Linda Liu School of Visual Arts Lisa Liu MCPHS

Cam McAllister Drexel University

Jalen Ortiz Roger Williams University Alex Ossipian Northeastern University Matt O'Toole Indiana University

Evan Roffman Tim Shine University of Michigan University of Pennsylvania Sierra Rogers Fisher College

Donna Shirasb University of Connecticut

Rheya Rohanna

Eleanor Skabeev Babson College

Alexander Rong Elyssa Rosen Boston University

Elijah Skehan

Max McGary Clark University

Alex Ottmer Colorado School of Mines

Molly McGinnis

Ashwin Padmanaban

Bella Ross Elon University

Jasmine Smargiassi Gap year

Lana Mello Washington University in St. Louis

Aimee Pan New York University

Darya Rostami Suffolk University

Hailey Smith UMass Amherst

John Robertson University of New Hampshire

Abigail Shin University of Pennsylvania

Ella Small

Kaveri Krishnamoorthy Jack Liu Dartmouth College Rhode Island School of Adam Rotberg Etienne Panasenko Nate Smith-Michaels Design Gap year Alon Mileguir UMass Amherst Anna Kuo Georgia Tech Sedam Park Boston University Elliott Longo Claire Ruan Adair Smyth UMass Lowell Northwestern University Ben Miner Denison University Miles Pearlman Avi Kuperman Columbia University Vanderbilt University Emerson College Andrew Loo Amethyst Ryan Harper Smyth Haverford College Virginia Tech Diya Misra Case Western Reserve Amil Pena Rodriguez Michelle Kwan Northeastern University University Aaron Lu Eli Rybnikova Andrew Perlin McGill University University of TorontoYoungrah Kwon Diego Mobarak Eddie So Mississauga McGill University Purdue University Ben Perman Ellen Lu Samuel La Camera Bowdoin College Liam Sakakeeny University of Wisconsin Jan Montesinos Navarra Spencer Solcoff University of Rochester Jack Lu Colgate University Max Pessanha Imani Laird Ema Morgovsky Boston College Grace Santos Hampton University Vida Luckett Northeastern University Hayne Song George Washington Washington University in Gap year Jaylon Phifer University St. Louis Alex Laurie Stephanie Morin Quinnipiac University Andrew Luo Purdue University Dimitry Pianykh Carina Santucci UMass Amherst Sophie Song UMass Amherst Washington University in Maelyn Leacock Joshua Moshes Nathan Pilavin St. Louis Caspian Madsen Northeastern University Lior Sapir New York University Claire Lee Reese Pinto Alp Sonmez Vanderbilt University Freya Munshi Georgetown University Nathaniel Scharf Boston College Asker Maehlisen University of Pittsburgh Amherst College United States Marines Lani Lee Amirah Pitts Grace Sousa UMass Amherst Nadia Mustafa Morgan State University Maggie Schofield Connecticut College Cate Mahoney Ithaca College Syracuse University Sarah Lawrence College Sophie Lee Sam Pomerantz Alex Sprung Elon University Myles Mutambo Reed College Imla Seelam Tulane University Edward Maklin Ohio State University Alessandra Nagarajan Roger Lehr Gabby Priddis Anastasia Senfuma Nir Stein Trade school Suffolk University John Cabot University Curry College Indiana University Taban Malihi Yale University Aaron Leigland Sacha Najafi David Qiu Nicole Senfuma Ilana Sternburg UMass Amherst McGill University Curry College Gap year Emerson Mallis Ryan Leonard Northeastern University Ben Nakash-Kadener Richard Qiu Fabio Sepe Alec Sussman Kendra Manie Brandeis University UMass Amherst Clemson University University of Colorado Adam Levin Boulder Owen Serra Colorado College Vanessa Namakula Caelan Quadra University of Maryland Suvi Talvitie University of Florida UMass Amherst Colorado College Kyrah Mar Arianna Levitan University of Colorado Jazmin Shaar Skidmore College Ainoa Nashat Charlie Quirk Boulder Northeastern University Andrea Tang George Washington University of Tampa Wellesley College University Maayan Levy Matthew Marcolino Mia Shahal-Schiffer UMass Amherst Max Raffel Merrimack College Gap year Angelina Tang Evan Ng University of Southern Berklee College of Music Indiana University Maddie Lewis California Lucy Marcus Maya Shammay University of Richmond Ithaca College University of Maryland Neena Tarafdar Ali Niu Dalynn Ramos Harvard University Noah Li Alexandra Martin Julia Shapiro Cornell University Mark Ocher Anjan Rayavarapu McGill University McGill University Hannah Tarmy Stonehill College William and Mary David Li Jett O'Connor College Courtney Martin Eric Shen Community Connections Zach Rhein Johnson & Wales UMass Amherst Program Eric Li Tulane University University Preslava Tchesnovsky Brandeis University UMass Amherst Ilan Sherman-Kadish Liza Odikadze Karen Ridge Sandrine Martinez Washington University in Boston University Keith Li Gap year UC Santa Cruz St. Louis Ishaan Tewari Zachary Li Northeastern University

Sienna Masood Bowdoin College

Gabe Lieberman University of Miami

Tariq Masoud Temple University

Lisa Ofir Bentley University

Yoonchul Shin New York University

Harvard University Henry Thoennes Northeastern University

page 17 | senior section

Caroline Thurmond John Timko Colgate University Greg Tinkjian Northeastern University Sasha Tolparova Jacob Tomaneng University of Tampa Sara Tomas Harvard University Graham Tonkonogy Denison University Ava Towfigh Amari Tran Timmy Trotman Temple University Sophie Turney United States Army Riyanna Ufland Sabina Uribe School of Visual Arts

the lion's roar Abby Ustayev University of Pennsylvania Sophia Utano Clemson University Riccardo Vacchi Uma Vagenshtein Enya Vahey University of Wisconsin Hannah Valiente-Verhulst Seattle University

Katya Vasileva Ellen Vaynberg University of San Diego Aniyah Vega-Hines Jessa Verhoef Elena Vernet Marcelo Villafuerte Boston University

Sonya Valkova

Ella Viti George Washington University

Max Vallmitjana Agullo International, Barcelona

Sasha Vorobyov Boston University

Yvana Valtchinov

Jared Wang Berklee College of Music

Kai van Beever University of Michigan Lani Vargas Eli Varnum University of Utah Leah Vashevko University of Chicago

Yitong Wang Jack Wei Olin College of Engineering Jonny Wei Northwestern University

Michael Weiner William and Mary College Zach Weiss Northeastern University Naomi Weitzman University of Vermont Greer Wheeler Emerson College Ender Widder Northeastern University Marley Wiener Scripps College Cory Williams Boston College Izzy Wilson University of Richmond Kayla Woo Northeastern University

Dillon Woods Tamar Yeret University of Vermont University of Connecticut Jocelyn Woods Ohio State University

Kira Yoshida Tufts University

Max Worman

Daniel Yosubash Wake Forest University

Anna Wright-Lee University of Cincinnati

Zoe Zalkind Boston University

Allison Wu UMass Amherst Chutian Wu Southern Methodist University

Daniel Zaslavski University of Miami Matthew Zeng Johns Hopkins University

Sophia Wu Wellesley College Kevin Yang Harvard University Marcus Ye Boston College

Kuga Wood

Brandon Yee UMass Amherst

Taiga Wood

Chris Yee UMass Amherst

Aden Zhaichybekov Emma Zhang Duke University Katelyn Zhao Boston University Alex Zheng Tufts University Kyle Zheng

1 in 434: Class of '24 speaker, Grace Sousa Bella Ishanyan Co-Editor-in-Chief Emeritus On the morning of May 23, Senior Grace Sousa took a walk around Skyline Park, the Class of 2024’s emblematic place of reflection, in an attempt to clear her head.

“That was the day of tryouts, and I was saying to Jack, ‘I don't want to do this anymore. I actually don't think my speech is good enough anymore,’ And he was like, ‘No, you should do it,’” she said.

“And then I’m sitting there in tryouts, and all these people are going up, there were like eight people before me. And I was like, wow, those are so amazing.”

Senior Jack Cowhig, Sousa’s boyphoto contributed by Grace Sousa

friend, said that she was having second thoughts and was incredibly nervous, but that he always had confidence in her and her story.

“Her speech was good, although I gave her some harsh criticism for the first time and that discouraged her a little, but in the end I knew that she was going to win,” he said.

Sousa was driving to her babysitting job when texts came flooding in, telling her that she was chosen as the Class of 2024’s graduation speaker. She said that along with being shocked, she felt a sense of humility as she realized that her story could make an impact that resonated with the entire class.

“I'm very humbled in a way … because you have to talk about your personal experience, but you also have to make it universal,” she said.

“It was a really humbling experience in the sense that this day isn't all about me, and I'm not someone who went through this crazy journey,” she said. “We all have our own crazy journeys that I want to make sure I'm honoring with my speech.”

English teacher and friend of Sousa’s Deborah Bernhard said that although they had not heard the speech previously, they were not

shocked at all that Sousa had been selected.

“I was not at all surprised because she's awesome, and she's a really engaging speaker,” they said. “She has a really unique story that's probably different from the mainstream South kid. I was just so happy for her, but not at all surprised, because she's so great.”

The judging panel, made up of 13 faculty members and senior students, was led by the English department head Brian Baron, who said that Sousa’s speech universally reflected the shared story of the graduating class.

“The challenge of a graduation speech is telling part of your story in a way that resonates broadly,” he said. “Grace manages that balancing act skillfully. Everyone is going to love her speech. I can’t wait for the Class of 24 to hear it.”

Her story in Newton, as she tells us, began in 2021 when she moved to South from Norton High School in Norton, MA, after finding discomfort with the community’s approach to racial inclusivity. Her brother Gavin Sousa said that the transition to Newton was significant, but better suited for what they valued.

“It was a pretty big change,” he said.

“Being in more of a city, more people, more connections, more everything. Better school, people take school more seriously. It is just a better environment. Norton was kind of like a box.”

Along with impressing the judging panel, Sousa has consistently made an impact in the community as a whole, as a member of South’s Legacy Scholars Program, president of the Black Student Union, head costume designer for South Stage, centerfold editor for The Lion’s Roar newspaper, member of Newton Athletes Unlimited, camp counselor at Mason-Rice Elementary, babysitter and kind soul.

Senior Asker Maehlisen, who also auditioned for the class speaker role, said that Sousa’s speech clearly demonstrated that her leadership and ability to connect with those around her has fortified her ability to make a

The challenge of a graduation speech is telling part of your story in a way that resonates broadly,” he said.

“Grace manages that balancing act skillfully. Everyone is going to love her speech. I can’t wait for the Class of 24 to hear it.

Grace Sousa class of '24 difference in everything she does.

“Grace has a very powerful voice, and she's a great writer,” he said. “ I didn't know her very well this year, but she seems like a very, very nice person, and her speech [showed that she] was very involved. It seemed like she had definitely been around different communities and different clubs and different associations at South, and she does mention that in her speech as well.”

As this chapter comes to a close and we enter a new period of our life, Sousa said that she wants to recognize the perseverance of our class and the dedication that went into these four years — a message she seeks to convey with her speech as she beckons our community into this new period of our lives.

“My biggest thing is determination. I mention that word a lot,” she said.“There's a lot of uncertainty about the future. People say you can plan as much as you want and things won't always pan out that way, but with uncertainty, if you are determined and you keep working at what you think you're good at, or you want to pursue, your determination will see through and bring you to the end. Every person had their challenges, but we all overcame those challenges with determination.”

page 18| senior section

the lion's roar

Congratulations, Rohan!

We love you and are proud of you.

Per aspera ad astra.

-Mom, Dad, Grandma and the rest of the family

issuu.com/thelionsroar

senior section| page 19

Congratulations Adam!

We are so proud of you and we wish you much success in your new beginnings!

With much love, Mom, Dad, Ilan, Mikael and Lexi

Congratulations Sylvia!

We're so proud of everything you've accomplished so far and can't wait to see everything you achieve in the future.

Love, Mom, Dad, Jordan, Gram and Grandma Love, Mom, Dad, Gabriel & Amber

page 20 | senior section

the lion's roar

Congratulations, Ava! We are so proud of you and can’t wait to see all the amazing things you’ll do at Emerson.

Love, Mom and Dad

Congratulations Liam!

We are so proud of you, today and always, and can't wait to see where your next adventure takes you!

Ian, it is so hard to believe that you are already graduating. Thanks for being the best big brother, and we can't wait to see what your future has in store.

Lots of love from Mom, Dad and Cormac

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senior section| page 21

Congratulation

AARON CHEN and the

Class of 2024!

page 22 | senior section

the lion's roar

Congratulations, Eli! We are so very proud!

Love, Mom and Dad

SUBMIT

a letter to the editor to ss.lionsroar@gmail.com

CONGRATULATIONS

The Lion's Roar welcomes the opinions of our readers in the form of letters to the editor.

WILL!

The Lion's Roar reserves sole discretion to decide whether or not a reader submission will be published.

The Lion's Roar will not publish anonymous submissions or letters containing personal attacks.

The Lion's Roar reserves the right to edit or refuse all letters. The authors of such pieces are not members of The Lion's Roar staff, nor do they necessarily reflect the views of The Lion's Roar staff.

If a submission is selected, it will be run on a single occasion, and the author agrees to give us the right to publish it in print and digital form.

Letters should not exceed 300 words.

Congratulations, Asker

JOIN THE R AR Come to a meeting in room 1201 to see what The Roar has to offer:

Photos

We are so proud of you, can't wait to see where your next adventures take you.

Writing

Improve your technique Conduct interviews, by shooting sports games, report on compelling school events and staged topics or write about your illustrations. own opinions.

Graphics

Draw, paint or use digital techniques to create pieces that accompany printed articles.

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ss.lionsroar@gmail.com for more information.

Love, Mor, Far, Anton & Oakley

Photo by Bella Ishanyan

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yassss | page 23

Q&A With Senior Cup winners Kevin Yang and Raina Bornstein Raina Bornstein What's your advice to current/future high schoolers?

Kevin Yang What's your advice to current/future high schoolers?

"Be in the moment and be present a little bit more. We only have four years in high school, four years,to evolve from naive, somewhat annoying middle schoolers into full blown adults, a lot happens during that time. And if you're too busy planning for the future, then you'll miss it."

What are your plans and goals for the future?

"I want to meet as many interesting people as possible, have incredible conversations, and then also pursue different projects with them and see where those go."

What are you happiest about from your time in high school? " I got to explore the world more, I started hanging out with all my friends and really just taking in the non academic part of high school, for the most part, so I've been very successful in doing that, now that I look back on it at the end of senior year, I did go to Friday Night Lights, and I did get to party with friends and grill with friends and run a marathon and do other crazy things."

What is your biggest regret from high school?

I took a lot of things for granted. The most clear example, are the sports games as a little bit of a shallow example. But I remember when our boys basketball team qualified for the playoffs. And I was like, ah, that's kind of cool that they're playing sweet 16. But I'm a little busy tonight, I need to go finish some homework assignments. I've just watched them another time later. But that later never came.

What was your reaction to winning Senior Cup?

I'm honored. Especially since the Senior Cup is an award based off of votes from the people. I'm honored that both teachers and my constituents have voted me for for the award. I feel accomplished. And it says that, perhaps this is a good way to end off my time as president.

"My advice to future high schoolers is to say yes, to be ambitious, to challenge yourself to figure out what's important to you and then push yourself to chase after that."

What are your plans and goals for the future?

"I'm hoping that I can learn enough about neuroscience and understand biology at a deep enough level that I can start to get involved developing therapeutics and improving quality of life for people who have brain based disorders."

What are you happiest about from your time in high school?

"I discovered my passion for neuroscience, and I just kind of jumped right in I started publishing my own articles online. I had meetings with all sorts of different PhDs from around the world, and just tried to learn more and tried to figure out why I cared about the things that were important to me and how I can make a contribution to this world. I have a really strong sense of direction, what I care about, what I want to change and how I want to help people."

What is your biggest regret from high school?

I try not to live by the philosophy of regrets because I think that there are things that I did that maybe didn't have enough outcomes or decisions that I could have made, but I really do believe that everything happens for a reason. And so I guess that even the mistakes that I made, they were lessons I learned but if I was gonna go back and start over again, I just would have told myself, you don't need to be afraid to get involved. You don't need to be afraid to interact with people as much as you want. ask important questions.

What was your reaction to winning Senior Cup?

It was amazing winning senior cup. It was really surprising to me because I was put up against some of the most incredible people that I know and I've ever had the privilege to know. And so I was honestly shocked when I won the senior camp, but it made me really proud because at the end of the day, it's an award that's decided by students and faculty and then ultimately decided to come by students and so it made me really proud to know that my class had felt that I that I served them and that I did a good thing to my community.

Congratulations Class of 2024!

The Newton South PTSO