Commencement 2020

Commencement ‘Watching You Make It Work Anyway’: Lawrenceville confers diplomas on a class that learned remotely while holding each other close. 2020!

“WELCOME, EVERYONE, TO LAWRENCEVILLE’S FIRSTEVER, HISTORICAL, UNUSUAL … YES, YOU GUESSED IT — VIRTUAL — CONFERRING OF DIPLOMAS!”

With those words, the Rev. Sue Anne Steffey Morrow H’12, director of spiritual and religious life, welcomed online viewers around the world to an event unique in the 210-year history of the School. With the spring term conducted virtually and with learners spread across sixteen time zones due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the logical, if unfamiliar, conclusion to the academic year for the valiant Class of 2020.

The prerecorded ceremony, which effectively functioned as the School’s Commencement exercises, was uploaded to YouTube and made accessible to the Lawrenceville community on the morning of May 31. With one of the two Abbott Dining Hall fireplace mantels at his back, elegantly carved to honor the Fifth Form, Head of School Stephen S. Murray H’54 ’55 ’65 ’16 P’16 ’21 delivered his remarks. He gratefully acknowledged those members of the class who will continue their education at United States service academies next year: Brandon Agron and Jasmine Barco at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Tim Johnson at the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School prior to enrolling at West Point, and Nicholas Clark and Ashley Warren at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Murray then announced the recipients of two of the School’s highest honors. Makayla Boxley received the Edward Sutliffe Brainard Prize, awarded annually by the faculty to the Fifth Form student whom they hold in the highest esteem, and Samika Hariharan claimed the Trustees’ Cup, presented annually by the head of school on behalf of the Board of Trustees to the student who has most influenced the School for good.

Speaking from home, Michael Chae ’86, president of the Lawrenceville Board of Trustees, then authorized Murray to confer diplomas to the Class of 2020.

“We’ve watched your impressive achievements over the past four years with great pride, and never more so than during the past three months,” Chae said in praise of the graduates. “Your remarkable resilience and leadership during this time will always

“If there’s one thing harder than saying ‘goodbye,’ it’s not getting the chance to say goodbye.”

— Ashley Duraiswamy ’20 class valedictorian ▶

have a special place in our hearts and in the history of the School.”

With that, Blake Eldridge ’96 H’12, dean of students, then read the names of the graduates, beginning with Student Council President Tayari Gachegua. Each of the 219 members of the class was pictured on a still slide, accompanied by their full name and hometown.

Murray then introduced the class valedictorian, Ashley Duraiswamy, who delivered her address to the class backed, appropriately, by stacks of shelved books.

“We’ve watched your impressive achievements over the past four years with great pride, and never more so than during the past three months.”

— Michael Chae ’86 President, Lawrenceville Board of Trustees

She spoke of returning from spring break to learn at home, via Zoom, and the skepticism she initially battled.

“It was just morning after morning of watching many of your faces pop up on my screen; morning after morning of thinking this wouldn’t work, but watching you make it work anyway,” Duraiswamy said. “You showed me that every organization — every company, every government, every school — is just people, a group of people and everything they’re brilliant and daring enough to create.”

Rabbi Lauren Levy H’97 ’01 P’01

’02 ’09 closed the proceedings with ta benediction that urged the Class of 2020 to “grow, reach, bloom, and explore,” as they go forth as Lawrentians.

“And as you move to your next destinations, your next adventures,” Levy said, “go slow and grow slow — slow and full.”

Fifth Form Prizes

Valedictorian Ashley Duraiswamy Edward Sutliffe Brainard Prize Makayla Boxley Trustees’ Cup Samika Hariharan

The Aurelian Honor Society Award Andrew Tokarski

The James E. Blake Prize Alexandra Mary Elizabeth Stach Max Wong Performing Arts Department Prize Anushka Agarwala Jean S. Stephens Performing Arts Department Prize Tasan Smith-Gandy The Peter Candler Periwig Award Emily Matcham The Music Department Prize/ Instrumental Samika Hariharan The Music Department Prize/Vocal Isabelle Monaghan The Addison H. Gery Jr. Jazz Prize Santiago Parra-Vargas The Matthew Dominy Prize Tri Giao Vu Dinh

The R. Jack Garver Visual Arts Department Prize Oona Pierre

Visual Art Department Prize Carolyn King The Visual Art Department Faculty Award Hazel Schaus

The English Department Prize for General Excellence Catherine Levy The English Department Prize for Achievement in Creative Writing Ashley Duraiswamy The Henry C. Woods Jr. Critical Writing Award Elyssa Chou The Owen C. Smith Poetry Prize Tri Giao Vu Dinh The Religious Life Prize Anika Bagaria Areeq Hasan Catherine Levy The Religion & Philosophy Department Prize Maryellen Vogel The James Sipple Award Areeq Hasan The John P. Phelps Jr. Prize Emily Shapcott The Benjamin H. Trask Classics Prize Ashley Duraiswamy The Chinese Language Prize Kate Partridge Independence Foundation Prize Catherine Levy The William Mayhew Dickey ’64 Prize Xavier Lacoste

The Sterling Morton Prize Oliva Sieler

Free Enterprise Award Jeffrey Cai Walker W. Stevenson Jr. Prize Johnny Nguyen The Wendell Hertig Taylor Prize Emily Matcham The Benjamin F. Howell Jr. Science Prize Fund Andrew Zheng The Lever F. Stewart Prize Tri Giao Vu Dinh

Aldo Leopold Ecology Prize Simon Cull Sidharth Sharma Mr. and Mrs. W.R. Niblock Award Harrison Wang The Henry and Janie Woods Prize for Research Science Merrin Foltz

The Paul L. Marrow Award Samika Hariharan

Hubert M. Alyea Award Christopher Conyers The Mathematics Faculty Award C.J. Vilfort The Howard Hill Mathematics Award Liana Raguso The John T. O’Neil III Mathematics Team Award Harrison Wang The Herman Hollerith Prize Nicholas Healy The Lawther O. Smith Computer Science Prize Elizabeth Chou The Thomas F. Sharp Interdisciplinary Award Carolyn McLaughlin The Richard H. Robinson Prize Makayla Boxley Carolyn King The Class of 1995 Journalism Award Deven Kinney The Megna-Schonheiter Award Jack Collins Parents at Lawrenceville Community Service Award Lauren Recto The Robert Mammano Frezza Memorial Award Anika Bagaria The Nick Gusz Best Male Athlete Award C.J. Vilfort The Melissa Magee Speidel Best Female Athlete Award Ashley Warren The Tommy Sullivan Award Grace Faircloth

The John H. Thompson Jr. Prize Lizzie Huesman The Adam and Mackellar Violich Award Amy Aririguzoh Andrew Tokarski

N.J.I.S.A.A. Female Scholar Athlete nominee Miranda Cai

N.J.I.S.A.A. Male Scholar Athlete nominee T.J. Semptimphelter Major L Blankets C.J. Vilfort Jake Simpson Heaven Figueroa Nicholas Clark Sydney Cornell Ellie Vogel Tait Mott Lizzie Huesman Ashley Warren Maggie Ross Isabelle Monaghan Alexander Pesendorfer Olivia Koch Grace Faircloth

L12 Award Carolyn King The Kathleen Wallace Award Beata Fylkner The Director’s Award: Tay Gachegua The Boczkowski Award Maggie Ross The Deans’ Award Andrew Tokarski

The Elizabeth Louise Gray Prize Maxima Molgat The Andrew T. Goodyear Class of 1983 Award Olivia Sieler

The Max Maxwell Award Jax Floyd The Phi Beta Kappa Award Liana Raguso Masters’ Prize Tri Giao Vu Dinh