Commencement 2022

On Friday, June 10th, the Class of 2022 enjoyed one last experience as students at Brooklyn Friends School—their commencement. In front of hundreds of family, friends, and BFS colleagues and Board members, the proud graduates processed across the stage at Pace University’s Schimmel Center.

Head of School, Crissy Cáceres, opened the ceremony, followed by messages for the graduates from classmates Delila Lapidus ’22 and Brianna Griffiths ’22, an address by Distinguished Alumni Speaker, Mitch Zeller ’75, and words of wisdom from colleague speaker, Dr. Jon DeGraff. Guests also enjoyed performances by student musicians, Justin Hohn ’22 and Isaiah Schetelick ’22.

The ceremony culminated with the graduates receiving their diplomas from Crissy Cáceres, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Ed Oliver, Head of Upper School, Kamaya Prince Thompson, and Assistant Head of Upper School, Daniel Paccione. After the final diploma was bestowed, the Class of 2022 tossed their caps towards the sky and came together for hugs and cheers.

Congratulations, BFS Class of ’22, we are so proud of you!

On the following pages, please enjoy learning a little bit about our graduates, which first appeared as profiles on our social media platforms.

Luciano Agudelo

Your teachers describe you as the epitome of studentathlete-artist. We have loved to watch you explore your interests in sustainability in and out of the classroom. Good luck at Bowdoin College!

Alexander Basner

Lifetime Friend

You have exemplified Blue Pride as a dedicated three-sport athlete. Your athleticism, leadership, and record-setting performances have forever inscribed your name in the BFS record books. Good luck at Michigan!

Charles Bertoldo

Lifetime Friend

Your teachers share that you truly live the Quaker values of our school. It is easy to see them in your worldview and the ethical standards to which you hold yourself. Good luck at Elon University!

Lily J. Boyd Lifetime Friend

Your teachers share that you are truly committed to the Quaker value of seeing the inner light in every person. You are known in our community for your stewardship and leadership. Good luck at Boston College!

Saraii M. Clarke

We appreciate your artistic abilities and contributions to our community. We have enjoyed watching your creativity when it comes to character development in your art. Good luck at Syracuse University!

Peter DeSantis

Lifetime Friend

We have been inspired by your ability to connect with younger students through your passions—technology and film. Good luck at the Rochester Institute of Technology!

Lila Margalit Ehrlich

You are known for your steady presence and personal depth across your academic interests, love of the visual and performing arts, and your commitment to activism and service. Enjoy your gap year and good luck at Vassar!

Jackson Garvey

Your teachers share that you are creative, driven, truly know who you are, and never waver from your values and what’s important to you. Good luck at Duke!

Xavier Gordon

Your teachers share that you are the ultimate community and team builder in the classroom, on the athletic field, and throughout our school. Good luck at Wake Forest University!

Brianna Griffiths

Your teachers share that you are a true shining light in our community. You are known as a magnetic force who brings energy and care to all that you do. Good luck at Richard Bland College of William and Mary!

Sophia Marrie Hall

You are known for your intellectual fervor, altruism, kindness, and gracious spirit. You truly embody the Quaker values of equity, compassion, and integrity. Good luck at Wesleyan University!

Nina Akiko Haskins

Your teachers share that they admire your sensitive disposition and palpable sense of compassion. Words cannot fully express the enthusiasm for life that you exude. Good luck at Barnard!

Amaya Haye

Your teachers share that you are a shining example of a student who operates from a place of disciplined intention and a spirit of gratitude. Good luck at Cornell University!

Meghan Jahlei Henry

Your teachers share that you are a voice of reason for our school community. You are a community leader because you want to be, not because someone tapped you to do so. Good luck at University of Massachusetts-Boston!

Justin Shemaiah Hohn

You are known as a tireless and unapologetic advocate, who leads by example as a passionate member of our Student Coalition for Social Justice. Good luck at Swarthmore College!

Charles Kipper

Lifetime Friend

Your teachers share that you truly live the “life of the mind.” Thank you for sharing your myriad of interests with us. Good luck at Washington University in St. Louis!

Kendall Noelle Lambert

You have made a huge impact on our community through your many and profound efforts to create welcoming, accessible, and safe spaces for all. Good luck at Sarah Lawrence College!

Delila Lapidus

Lifetime Friend

Your teachers share that you are the definition of a people person. Thank you for your tremendous dedication to our volleyball program. Good luck at Boston University!

Jade Lichtenstein

Lifetime Friend

You are a staunch advocate for environmental justice and have held BFS accountable to reduce its environmental impact, and we are all better for it. Good luck at Colorado College!

Eve Lipkin Lifetime Friend

You are the one who notices details and puts tremendous time and effort into making things “just right.” Good luck at Goldsmiths, University of London

Madison Liuzzo

Your dedication to dance has inspired the BFS community. You are known to approach this craft with intellectual curiosity and unbridled enthusiasm. Good luck at the University of Wisconsin!

Franka Isabella Matthes Thompson

We have been inspired by your creativity, tenacity, ambition, and vision as a dedicated visual artist. Enjoy your gap year and good luck at England’s Norwich University of the Arts!

Yamila McLaughlin

Lifetime Friend

You seize every opportunity presented to you. You have made BFS a more inclusive space as you have held us accountable to our work towards equity and belonging. Good luck at Brown University!

Frank Messina, Jr.

Your compassion, care, and a desire to help others is evident in all that you do. Thank you for your dedication to the BFS athletics program as a three-sport athlete. Good luck at Syracuse University!

Ayoub Moussaddek

You have left a positive impression on your teachers with your inquisitive listening, sharp follow up questions, and unshakeable commitment to getting the best education available. Good luck at Fordham University!

Ava Elena Pellagrini

Your teachers share that you have inspired our community through your sense of wonder, discovery, energy, and positivity. Good luck at Brown University!

Ava Lila Preli Sklar

Lifetime Friend

You are proof that you do not need to be the loudest voice in the school to have your voice heard and to steer the community toward change. Good luck at Emory University!

Valentina Marie Rosa

You are known for your powerful mind and your dedication to constant learning and desire to improve in all you do. Good luck at Loyola University New Orleans!

Sophia Sanz Marulanda

Your teachers share that you are confident and independent. You are a great team member, being an important leader on the volleyball and softball teams. Good luck at SUNY at Albany!

Isaiah Schetelick

It has been a true joy for our community to watch you perform in countless Brooklyn Friends musicals, plays, and concerts. Good luck at the California Institute for the Arts!

Ethan Sheehan

Lifetime Friend

Your teachers describe you as a gregarious, observant, bright, confident, and motivated person. Thank you for sharing your love and knowledge of music with us. Good luck at Tulane!

Wyatt Shlafer

Your teachers share that you are always thoughtful, thorough, and creative in your academic assignments and reflections. Good luck at the Savannah College of Art and Design!

Dylan Tran

Your teachers share that you are independent, disciplined, curious, helpful, and one of the most generous spirits our community has to offer. Good luck at Columbia University!

Charli Mariah Wilson

Our community has been inspired by your dedication to dance, creating, and performing. You are strong and full of ideas and demonstrate a willingness to commit to risks. Good luck at Pace University!

Senior portraits taken by Lily Boyd ’22

Wilhelmina Valentino

You are able to flexibly follow the direction of the day’s discussion, as well as put a risky idea on the table for your peers to dissect alongside you. Good luck at Tulane University!

Cecily Kira June Vlack

Your teachers admire that you truly value the breadth of human emotions as an opportunity to connect with others meaningfully and as an opportunity to learn. Good luck at Oregon!

Kai A. Wiley Mandel

From watercolor to oil pastels to digital drawing, your work reflects a vivid imagination, a philosophical questioning, and a willingness to experiment. Good luck at Sarah Lawrence College!

LETTING OUR LIVES SPEAK: THE DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI ADDRESS Mitch Zeller ’75

Mitch Zeller ’75

Mitch Zeller spent the better part of 40 years trying to help others live better, healthier lives. When you think about it, what else would you expect from a Brooklyn Friends graduate?

Working on FDA issues since 1982, Mitch served as the director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products from March 2013 through April 2022 and led the FDA’s efforts to use the tools of product regulation to reduce disease and death from tobacco use and bring previously unavailable information about its dangers to light. At BFS’ 2022 Commencement, 47 years after his own graduation in 1975, Mitch stood at the podium and delivered the Distinguished Alumni Address to the seniors and their families.

“This is a privilege and an opportunity to look back at the hugely formative four years I spent at Brooklyn Friends School,” Mitch said, “to reflect on what I took from my high school experience here and the impact that it had on me in college, law school, and in adult, professional life.”

He spoke about the role of teamwork and how important it has been throughout his life.

“Whatever success I have had professionally was the work of teamwork—a commitment by a dedicated group to do whatever it takes, however long it might take, to make meaningful change in policies that affect the health of our country. I can trace all of what drove me in my career back to those four years at Brooklyn Friends.” 

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CLASS OF 2022 ADMITTED SCHOOLS

Schools in blue are those that members of the Class of 2022 have chosen to attend. * Indicates multiple students are attending that school.

Albright College Amsterdam University College

Barnard College Boston College Boston University Bowdoin College Brown University* California Institute of the Arts

Colgate University

Colorado College Columbia University Cornell University

CUNY Bernard M Baruch College Dean College Drexel University

Duke University Elon University

Emerson College

Emory University

Falmouth University

Fordham University

George Washington University

Goldsmiths, University of London

Goucher College Howard University Indiana University, Bloomington Istituto Marangoni Milan Kent State University Lewis & Clark College Long Island University, Post Louisiana State University

Loyola University New Orleans

McDaniel College Michigan State University Moore College of Art and Design Morgan State Universitya

Norwich University of the Arts Pace University, New York City

Penn State University, Harrisburg Penn State University, University Park Pratt Institute Princeton University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Richard Bland College at William and Mary

Richmond The American International

College in London

Rochester Institute of Technology

Sacred Heart University

Sarah Lawrence College* Savannah College of Art and Design

Scripps College Seton Hall University Siena College Skidmore College Smith College St. John’s University, New York Stony Brook University

SUNY at Albany

SUNY at Binghamton SUNY College at Cortland SUNY College at Oswego SUNY University at Buffalo

Swarthmore College Syracuse University*

Temple University The American University of Paris The Boston Conservatory at Berklee The New School The Ohio State University The University of Edinburgh The University of the Arts Trinity College

Tulane University of Louisiana*

Union College University of British Columbia University of California, Los Angeles University of California, San Diego University of Colorado,

Colorado Springs University of Colorado, Boulder University of Hartford University of Maryland, College Park

University of Massachusetts,

Boston

University of Miami

University of Michigan

University of Nebraska, Lincoln University of New Haven

University of Oregon

University of Richmond University of Southern California University of Vermont University of Virginia, Main Campus

University of Wisconsin, Madison Vassar College Wake Forest University Washington University in St. Louis Wesleyan University

Williams College Worcester Polytechnic Institute