Andover, the magazine of the Phillips Academy and Abbot Academy community, is published four times per year. It is produced by the Office of Communication at Phillips Academy, 180 Main Street, Andover, MA 01810.
Main PA phone: 978-749-4000
Changes of address and death notices: alumni-records@andover.edu
Phillips Academy website: www.andover.edu Andover magazine phone: 978-749-4677 Email: magazine@andover.edu
Before the circle broke and you all sprinted to the center, Dr. Kington asked you to take a breath. In the weeks since, I hope that you have exhaled and taken a moment to reflect on your Commencement week and all that it included.
Your Andover experience is like no other. As our head of school noted in his opening remarks, you started classes in 2020 spread across “every quarter” of the globe. It was not until the spring of 2021 that you were together again on campus, quickly building connections with one another, assembling dance troupes and music ensembles, convening teams and clubs, and creating an identity for the Class of 2024. As Jess Li ’24 shared at Community Convocation, “Our class contains full-bodied flower arrangements born out of adversity—all exquisite, captivating, and flourishing in our own ways.”
Elly Nyamwaya P’14, ’24, instructor in English, spoke at Baccalaureate and called you “exceptional.” I could not agree more with his word choice. I have done my field research with the Class of 2024 and have proof that this is true. The residents of Day House welcomed me as a complementary house counselor and shared their stories about their journeys to Andover. I witnessed teams come together with a deep commitment to fitness and character and perform at the highest level. Dozens of STARs [Student Alumni Representatives] showed up to deliver great programming for our alumni body. I have seen you. I have hosted you in my home. My research supports Mr. Nyamwaya—you are exceptional.
While your Andover experience is like no other, your Commencement weekend included storied traditions of our 246-year-long history. You carried the Abbot red roses, processed behind the bagpipers, and sang “Gaudeamus” together. As Jess shared, “It is the time to be proud of all that we and our classmates will carry into the future with us.” Now your community expands beyond this campus and includes 25,000 members of your Andover family, all eager to meet you. When you encounter another Andover person, put out your hand, introduce yourself, and smile at your shared experience. As Louis Leone ’24 told us, “A smile is priceless, in every aspect of that word. It costs you nothing and means everything.”
Andover will always be your home—and we will always be excited to welcome you back. #AndoverForLife In knowledge and goodness,
Jenny Savino P’21, ’24 Director of Alumni Engagement
“When I first came to Andover, thought the school would be a place for me to become ‘smart’—whatever that means— to broaden my horizons, to learn how to be independent. Andover is hard. I think this is one of the most agreed-upon sentiments within our student body and community…This place has a habit of throwing out curveballs. Yet with each difficult slope and crag hurled your way, you have grown into yourself in ways that you never expected.”
JESS LI ’24
“Thank you, Andover, for teaching us and charging us to be the best people that we can be. While we cannot conclude with absolute certainty that we succeeded, we cannot say that we didn’t try. I know we did. It was here that I discovered it costs absolutely nothing to be a good person. A smile is priceless, in every aspect of that word. It costs you nothing and means everything.”
LOUIS LEONE ’24
“When I reflect on the so-called ‘Pandemic Days,’ what stands out to me is your collective effort to figure things out. The Class of 2024 is like none before.
We participated in a complex battery of COVID-testing, social distancing, dorm pods, and outdoor masking, but eventually the wild sight of 1,150 unmasked teenagers packed into the chapel re-emerged. And so too did your faculty—re-inspired by your curiosity and resilience.”
HECTOR MEMBREÑO-CANALES Instructor in Art
“In our time at Andover, we’ve stood in both the sun and shadows. The past few years have been hard. Times of shadow sometimes seemed never-ending. When the sun came out—maybe PSPA brought snacks or we went lawning with our friends—it felt fleeting, gone too quickly. But looking back on my three years here, I see so much more sun…”
ISABELLE RACHLIN MATLOFF ’24
“A sign in Isham House says: ‘Work hard; stay humble.’ Andover is definitely a place where you come to know those two things well. You understand the meaning and the value of hard work, and it is also a place that keeps you humble. [Your Andover experience] probably had some bumps and twists—which I think further highlights the resilience and grit it takes to navigate this transformative journey and also highlights the value of your myriad accomplishments.”
STACY METCALF ’90, P’24, ’27
“When we introduce ourselves as a new class every fall, the first thing we acknowledge is our differences. Each of us has a blend of unique attributes. It is easy to use these attributes to divide us. But we deliberately use them to unite us, to enrich our classroom experiences. When you embrace your identity, it makes you stronger and more confident to face the world. You will always stand out with your authenticity.”
ELLY NYAMWAYA P’14, ’24 Instructor in English
“Class of ’24: Trust that your Andover experience has prepared you well. Trust that the knowledge and goodness you have developed during your time here now forms the surest foundation for what you will do tomorrow, next year, and well into the future.”
RAYNARD
S.
KINGTON,
MD, PHD, P’24,
’27
Head of School
Address to the Class of 2024, June 2
Good morning, Andover! Let me add my welcome to our graduating students, families, and guests, our faculty and staff, faculty emeriti, and members of the Board of Trustees.
Parents and guardians: Thank you for entrusting Andover with the education of your children—and for the support and love you have given at every step of their journey. The pathways they have forged to arrive at this day are uniquely theirs. All they have invested in their intellectual pursuits, in their friendships, and in the development of their personal values now forms the surest foundation for a bright future.
Class of 2024: As we celebrate you, we also recognize that your high school experience began in 2020 at the same time that I began my tenure here—in the middle of a global pandemic. Don’t worry, I’m not going to recount those days of struggle and uncertainty in all our lives, but I will risk flashbacks and ask if any of you remember these [green recyclable food containers]?
“After being given the opportunity to spend time in every corner of campus, I have understood that we all have in us the yearning to become better than ourselves, the craving to improve, and the determination to succeed. Wow, you are incredible! You are people whose effect on others is nothing short of life changing. And most importantly, the work you put in to become those people has been the direct result of your burning aspiration to become better. I implore you, Class of ’24, to never stop improving.”
RYAN LAM ’24 School Co-President
I actually think your accomplishment today is even more potent precisely because so much of your introduction to your peers and your teachers took place at home or in your dorm room, framed by a computer screen. Your ability to get through that and thrive tells me that you have the tenacity to tackle anything this world throws your way.
And, yes, there is a lot coming at you.
So I will first state the obvious: you are graduating into an extraordinarily complex moment in time for our country and our world—a deeply divided society, a noisy and disruptive election cycle, the ongoing backlash against and stillto-be-determined reconstruction of diversity initiatives in many institutions, and an increasing focus on how we, as humans, are different rather than how we are alike. And not in a healthy way of shining light on difference that builds pride in who each of us is, not in a way that tells the stories of communities that have historically been ignored and debased, not in a way that helps all of us understand our distinctive life paths, but a focus on difference in a destructive way that is intended to reduce the other, to twist and distort the idea of diversity, to rebuild a societal hierarchy, a way that focuses on a return to a world that we thought had ended.
But your generation does not have to buy into the simplistic narrative that drives us to take a side, to rank order humans and our communities. You can choose how you view this moment and your own state of mind as you leave this campus and enter communities spread around the world.
It is a gift to youth: your natural ability to rethink, to reconsider, to not jump to the conclusions that have
been presented to you, to reconsider or affirm or even reject these ideas or assumptions or practices. This has always been the case, and that ability can and will make many of us, your elders, uncomfortable. So be it—it is the price we pay for societal growth and progress.
have played an enormous role in developing and advancing solutions in moments of great social upheaval. Key elements of the civil rights movements of this country led to changes that allowed me to become the first African American and first openly gay head of this school. These movements were decidedly influenced by and often initiated and led by young people who were unwilling to accept what was in front of them. And the United States— and the world—needs you to play this role today.
Unfortunately, many political and philosophical battles about education that many of us thought had been resolved are now openly contested. How did we arrive at a point when it is considered perfectly OK to dismiss the idea that diversity is good, and is perhaps the greatest asset of this incredible country? Even basic tenets of what education stands for, and for whom, have become polarizing. But you have the opportunity to decide for yourself what education should be. You can determine your priorities for what you hope to get out of your educational experience as you leave this historic institution. And our hope is that your time at Andover has prepared you to do just that.
meaning and even joy—but it also helps you understand and survive suffering and pain and complexity, all also essential parts of the human experience. Yes, we hope you find the good things that come from education but, perhaps equally, we hope you learn the importance of finding balance in your life. And not a static balance, like the image of a measuring scale with the weight on one side perfectly balancing the weight on the other. We instead hope for a dynamic balance that is measured over time and place and circumstances knowing that at any one moment, the scale is rarely perfectly balanced.
to a full house in Tang Theatre or while playing under the lights of Phelps Stadium or while creating a mathematical model to address a city’s housing crisis. Maybe it was a late-night conversation with a friend who got you through a difficult stretch. I saw you create incredible meaning and joy day after day on this campus and in the many lives you touched.
The human experience is so varied, and where we each find meaning and joy will be different. But we cannot simply hand you meaning or joy or really anything of value—because education as a pathway cannot be rigidly programmed. You know this to be especially true at Andover. We did not passively feed you ideas and experiences. We wanted you to seek them for yourself by engaging, exploring, and remaining curious. Education is simply a frame that helps you find many things—including
I hope that your Andover experience has moved each of you toward this dynamic life balance so that you can pursue and achieve your own happiness, your own joy, your own meaning. And my wish for you today and always is that you fight to maintain that stability so that you can navigate the challenging times.
And when these moments of challenge arrive, hold tight to your sense of curiosity and your ability to empathize, to probe, to explore, and to embrace the diversity of the human experience within our own lives and across our society as a glorious strength and a wonder—just think of all of you!
Class of ’24: Trust that your Andover experience has prepared you well. Trust that the knowledge and goodness you have developed during your time here now forms the surest foundation for what you will do tomorrow, next year, and well into the future.
Good luck and Godspeed!
“Andover, and the people here, have given each of us so much.
It is now our responsibility to give back. look at you and I see rocket scientists, chief executives, diplomats, generals, and heads of state. I see parents, artists, teachers, doctors, and coaches.
I see future George Bushs and Olivia Wildes and Bill Belichicks.
I see people who want to change the world for the better. This is what it means to give back. This is our moral obligation graduating from Andover.”
ELEANOR DEHOOG ’24
School Co-President
Congratulations, Class of 2024!
The offices of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving welcome you to the Andover family. We look forward to seeing you at future alumni events here on campus and around the world!
Julia Carmona, Whitney Kanter, ND Nwaneri, Josephine O’Rourke, Ashley Park, and Jack Swales
Class secretaries collect news from classmates and write class notes for Andover, the magazine of the Phillips Academy and Abbot Academy community. Keep in touch!
Max Boesch-Powers, Christopher Cali, Langan Garrett, Christian Gomez, Richard Lau, Jaeho Lee, Christopher Savino, and Matt Wasilewski
Class agents serve as partners with the Office of Annual Giving. Agents create class-specific fundraising and marketing strategies with the goal of increasing philanthropic participation among their classmates.
