Commencement Through the Lens

Cum Laude Introduction to Lauren Jared

By Benjamin D. Williams IV

Our speaker this morning is Lauren Jared. A scholar and teacher, friend and mentor to many students and colleagues in her remarkable 32 year tenure at Cate. Her teaching and work as a historian has been about engaging her students in the mysteries and nuances of the past, but more importantly she works to help all of us see humanity through the eyes of history and to see the power of kindness and understanding in the process of learning.

Lauren came to Cate from a UCSB PhD program in Medieval history and what began as an interlude while she finished her dissertation, became a career with Cate students at the center. In her years at Cate Lauren has taught Humanities, US History and senior electives in the History and English departments and as a fourteen year chair of the history department she created an atmosphere of collaboration and intention that fostered some of the most creative curriculum development in the department’s history. Lauren is also one of the Humanities originals, part of a team that has shepherded that foundational 9th grade course through many changes and updates over the years, including the most recent iteration that offered an inquiry approach that has had a profound impact on program development throughout the school.

Her students have long recognized her wisdom and the depth and great breadth of her knowledge. She is game for any good intellectual discussion whether it is about the surprising power of women in the Middle Ages or the nuances of contemporary politics and the pros and cons of the ballot initiatives in any given election. She is deeply committed to helping students find the strength and power in their own voices and has the humility to be always open to learning herself. The Class of 2019 honored Lauren with the Spittler Cup and noted that Lauren, “truly embodies the inquiry we value so highly at Cate…Not only does she teach, but she is also in the classroom to learn with us.”

We welcome this life-long learner whose intellectual curiosity and deep kindness have made a profound impact on the School for more than three decades.