Thirteen Seniors Inducted Into Cum Laude Society
On April 22, Roxbury Latin celebrated in Hall the 13 members of Class I whose efforts and accomplishments have earned them membership in the Cum Laude Society. Each spring, the all-school Cum Laude ceremony honors the life of the mind—affirming that at the heart of a good school is scholarly engagement. With the speakers and inductees present inside Rousmaniere Hall—all masked and socially distant—the remainder of the school community watched the proceedings via livestream.
“This special event is intended principally to do two things,” began Headmaster Kerry Brennan. “The first is to recognize the most distinguished scholars of the First Class. In their efforts and in their accomplishments, they have put to good use the gifts they have been given… The second purpose of this annual ceremony is in many ways the more consequential, for it involves everyone else in this room, and those watching remotely. In honoring these 13 boys, we are honoring the life of the mind; we are honoring trying hard and doing well; we are affirming that at the heart of a good school is scholarly engagement. I admonish you to take to heart the example of the inductees… All of you boys have the capacity to strive, to grow, to change, and to know the satisfaction of ideas unearthed and potential realized.”
The school was honored to welcome as the Cum Laude speaker Dr. Gita Gopinath, Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund, who serves in that prestigious post while on leave of public service from Harvard’s economics department, where she is the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and of Economics. Read the entirety of Dr. Gopinath’s personal and powerful address.
With lively recordings of Gaudeamus Igitur and The Founder’s Song as bookends to the celebration, Mr. Josh Cervas, president of RL’s Cum Laude chapter, provided a history of the organization: “By formally recollecting our origins each year, we also reaffirm our commitment to the Society’s original and abiding motto—three Greek words inspired by the three letters of the old Alpha Delta Tau name: Alpha stands for Areté (Excellence), Delta for Diké (Justice), and Tau for Timé (Honor). These three words, with deep roots in our past and far reaching implications for our future, raise qualities of mind and character which, ideally, each member of the Society will espouse as his own values and strive to instill in others throughout his life.”
The following seniors were inducted into the Cum Laude Society this year:
Robert Balson
Daniel Berk
Ben Chang-Holt
David D’Alessandro
Rohil Dhaliwal
Quinn Donovan
Peter Frates
Thomas Gaziano
AJ Gutierrez
Max Hutter
Byron Karlen
Ethan Phan
Daniel Sun-Friedman