Congratulations to the 21 seniors from the MKA Class of 2023 who were inducted into the Cum Laude Society on Monday, April 24. Established in 1906, the Cum Laude Society is modeled on the Phi Beta Kappa Collegiate National Honor Society and recognizes the scholastic achievement of secondary school students. It is the highest academic honor bestowed on members of the graduating class. The Cum Laude selection process relies both on a record of academic excellence and on nominations from the academic departments that reflect the character of students’ engagement with teaching and learning.

Speaking at the evening event, alumnus and Cum Laude Society member Nick Pai ’13 delivered a funny and inspiring speech to the inductees and their families as well as MKA administrators and faculty members. While acknowledging all the successes that led the students to Cum Laude recognition, Nick encouraged them to try new things (even trying to grow a pineapple in a closet) and never be afraid to fail. In his closing, Nick summed up his speech by sharing the following advice and steps: “You can be whoever you want to be. In order to figure out what you want to be, first figure out what you like and dislike. To do that, try a lot of things and talk to a lot of people. Once you decide who you want to be, you just need to put in the time, make incremental improvement, and not give up. Fortunately, you have a lot of time ahead of you. You are time rich and experience poor.”

Cum Laude President and Director of the College Counseling Office Louise Maxwell described the students who would be graduating Cum Laude, or “with praise.” She said, “The students being inducted today have shown an interest in the pursuit of knowledge. They don’t give up when they are challenged; they seek creative solutions to problems; they don’t take shortcuts; and they rarely complain about hard work or whine when they fall short. They work well independently; they are effective self advocates; they help one another; and they have a sense of personal satisfaction when they succeed.” While each student has their own strengths and interests, collectively they have demonstrated the highest of commitments to their academic experience at MKA. Congratulations!

2023 Cum Laude Inductees

Seated: Remy Ronen, Caroline Murphy, Morgan Riley, Laura Altirs, Caitlyn Jeffrey, Lucy Wexler

2nd Row: Iliana Weisberg, Gianna Zou, Ava Amar, Rebecca Herrick, Ava Kopelan

3rd Row: Frankie Bexon Reid, Aidan Szilagyi, Julia Narucki, Logan Furlonge, Anya Singh, Trent Bednar, Oliver Chang

Not Pictured: Michael Cai, Julian Hough, Carolina Lucas