Seniors from the class of 2016 are inducted into the Cum Laude Society

Congratulations to the 21 seniors from the MKA class of 2016 who were inducted into the Cum Laude Society at a formal ceremony held at the Upper School. The Cum Laude Society, established in l906, 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.

Gene Gurkoff, a Cum Laude graduate from MKA's class of 1997, and Founder of Charity Miles, an iPhone/Android app that enables people to earn money for charity when they walk, run or bike, was the keynote speaker. Since launching in 2012, Charity Miles members have walked, run and biked enough miles earn over $2M for some of the top charities in the world.

Gene referenced three quotes from Robert Frost, Emmet "Doc" Brown in Back to the Future and Yogi Berra when addressing the students. He advised that when he looks at the road his classmates took after graduating MKA, "We're all happy in our own ways, and face our own challenges. None of our roads are inherently happier or more worthy than any others. So, it's gonna be up to you—whatever roads you take— please do something that matters. He went to say that, 'for all the forks I've taken—all the roads I've traveled— they all lead back home."

The 2016 inductees are: Jack Besser, Nisha Bhagwat, Morgan Booker, William Bromley, Emma Bruce, Alex Cappitelli, Ana Lucia Espinosa-Dice, Vikash Dodani, Sara Feraca, William Hughes, Audrey Lane, Yasaman Mahdi, Leah Murphy, Samantha Pai, Julia Randall, Jordan Schildkraut, Rachel Sobel, Samuel Sobel, Abigail South, Shelly Tsirulik and Lauren Yagoda.