Use Your Voice: Ara Gershengorn Delivers 2023 Cum Laude Address

On April 20, Roxbury Latin celebrated in Hall the 12 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.

"Este evento especial destina-se principalmente a fazer duas coisas", começou o director Kerry Brennan. "A primeira é reconhecer os mais distintos estudiosos da Primeira Classe. Nos seus esforços e nas suas realizações, deram bom uso aos presentes que lhes foram dados... O segundo objectivo desta cerimónia anual é, em muitos aspectos, o mais consequente, pois envolve todos os outros nesta sala. Ao honrarmos estes 12 rapazes, estamos a honrar a vida da mente; estamos a honrar o esforço e o fazer bem; estamos a afirmar que no coração de uma boa escola está o empenho académico. Admoesto-vos a levar a peito o exemplo dos induzidos... Todos vocês rapazes têm a capacidade de lutar, de crescer, de mudar, e de conhecer a satisfação das ideias desenterradas e do potencial realizado".

Delivering the morning’s Cum Laude address was Ms. Ara Gershengorn, an attorney in Harvard University’s Office of the General Counsel, and mother of Michael Thomas (I), one of the honored inductees.

In her work, Ms. Gershengorn advises Harvard’s senior leadership on a wide range of issues; she recently has served as lead in-house counsel managing the litigation challenging Harvard College’s consideration of race in admissions. In her address to students in Hall, she also spoke about her consequential role serving on the legal team that successfully convinced the Supreme Court to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional in 2013.

“Each of you has a unique perspective,” she urged the students in the audience. “When opportunities present themselves, when you have the chance to use your voice for something important, when there are others who are afraid to speak, step up, share your perspective, and ensure they have a chance to share theirs.”

Read the entirety of Ms. Gershengorn’s remarks.

Between lively renditions of America the Beautiful and Jerusalem, Gaudeamus Igitur and The Founder’s Song, Mr. Josh Cervas, president of RL’s Cum Laude chapter, provided a history of the organization before he awarded the twelve inductees their certificates: “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.”

Os seguintes seniores foram admitidos na Cum Laude Society este ano:

Owen Butler
Carter Crowley
Ethan Dhadly
Will Grossman
Akshay Kumar
James McCurley
Alex Nahirny
Tait Oberg
Justin Shaw
Michael Thomas
Kevin Wang
Luke Wilkinson