graduation Senior Supplement | Class of 2021
CONGRATULATIONS,
class of 2021! Blaise George Achecar Gillian Zerah Adams* John Hendricks Anthony Avery Grace Bargeron* Elaine Raley Barnwell** Chloe Hannah May Beaver**
with distinction in Service and Leadership
Clifford Emmitt Bell III Linda Catherine Benton*** Efe Bilgin Thomas Lane Bradbury III ** Reginald Reeves Bradford III Anne Alston Brady Anna McKenna Bray* Karen Mariea Sibley Brown* Katherine Dianne Burch* with distinction in Sustainability
Holt Woodson Burge* Hunter Glenn Burge*** Sadie Staton Burge*** Olivia Ann Byers** Charles Thomas Caldwell* Davis Hamilton Caldwell Alexander Sidoti Camillo Reece Nichelle Capers* Jonathan Graham Carroll* Gerry Holden Carson Jr. Ryan Cole Cauwenberghs*** James Harrison Clifton Jr. Amelia Catherine Coker Reese Williams Coker Cameron Ava Colavito**
with distinction in Service and Leadership
Margaret Anne Coleman*** Sophie Foerester Courts Alford Barge Coy Mina Ayhan Derebail***
with distinction in Global Studies
Edward Augustine Desloge II John Ford Drewry Anna Grace Durham Leah Hutchinson Eiland** Sophia Grace Elve** Margaret Elizabeth Evans* Luke Alexander Ferrara* Mary Corinne Flint Jacob Paul Frank**
Zachary Martin Freier Jack Fletcher Gallagher** Zachary Alan Gapusan* Elke Lina Gill Collin Elijah Goldberg* Kathryn Wyn Green Hadley Elizabeth Griggs*** Nikita Sharmila Gupta*** Veer J. Gupta William Henry Haden***
with distinction in Service and Leadership
John Luke Ham William Burke Hammer*** Parker Matthews Hammond* Kendall Nicole Hart*
with distinction in Sustainability
Maxwell Spence Hobbs Charles Roland Hoke Jr.* Patrick Haralson Holder III Michael Edward Hollingsworth III Sally Anne Houk*** Jane Lett Huggins** Elizabeth Ayers Hunter* Lucas David Hyman** Chase Lottier Barrington Jeter*** Kahlil Denzil Johny* James Chadwick Jones
with distinction in Service and Leadership
Jayant Raj Joshi* William Louis Kahn* Megan Elise Kahrs*
with distinction in Service and Leadership
Robert Wellington Kamerschen Jr. Conner Cole Kanaly* Lucy Kent Karem Chandler Ray Kenny** Gillian Marie King Huntley Fenn King* Nathan Alexander Klavohn** Christopher Armitage Kollme Jr. Chiara Azzurra Reale Kremer*** Sydney Elizabeth Lamberson*** Lucien Michael LaScala* Jordan Elizabeth Legg** Nava Serene Little* Bishop Mark Lusink Ashley Ann Marshall*** Chelsea Elizabeth Mason Ruth Hanes McCrady*** William Seth McDaniel Jr. Aaron Nicholas McFadden Emily XiaYu McHale*
with distinction in Service and Leadership
Owen Robert McMurtrie
John Barry Mears Jr. Zachary Lawrence Minetola* Arya Mishra* Anika Krishna Murthy* Ryan Katamba Mutombo Georgia Elizabeth Norton de Matos**
with distinction in Global Studies
William Peter Novak*** John Michael Parsons Jr. Madison Ann Peavy* Sarah Elizabeth Piña Serrano* with distinction in Sustainability
Edward Andrew Pinkston Mia Costa Pioli Jennings Patrick Pitts Jr.* Alan Cooper Pope Jr. William Crawford Powell Jr. Cana Katherine Nikles Roach* Wasswa Edrine Robbins
with distinction in Service and Leadership
Joshua Ellis Robinson*** Elaina Habiba Samady**
with distinction in Global Studies
Ella Smith Schneidau** Alden Melissa Schroeder*** Sebastian Schroeter Mallory Whitaker Scott* Ciara Francesca Seminara William Joseph Sharp Wilson Wade Shepherd Marshall Connor Smith** Alexandra Paige Spitale** John Holman Srouji Ashley Anne Stratton*** Douglas Robert Strickland Katherine Elizabeth Stubbs*** Camille Marjorie-Anne Summers* Benjamin Thurkow-Schlund Charles Lee Troutman III Frances Elizabeth Tucker* Grant Christopher Turner** Lillian Martha Turner** Joseph Paul Urbanowicz* Sloane Amaya Vassar* Sydney Lynn Wade** Lilla McIntosh Walker* Alexander David Walters* Lauren Rachelle Warren* Leyton Jack Spencer Welanetz George Carter Westfall Eleanor Camden Weyman** Brooke Renée Williams** Frances Greer Windom** Harold Wendell Wyatt IV**
*** ** *
With Highest Honors With High Honors With Honors
the graduates
2021 THANK YOU TO THE CLASS OF
IN 650 WORDS...
OR LESS!
| by Anita Hua, Director of College Counseling
Innovators. Champions. Experimenters. Change agents. Creatives. Risk takers. Challengers. There’s no doubt the Class of 2021 was a group filled with resilience and optimism. 2021 will always represent a moment in time that was equally inspiring and unknown--some even described it as unprecedented and uncertain. Despite all of the buzz phrases used to describe our academic year and your college admission process, you kept it light and strived to keep your humanity at the center of the process.
I love my job, and with almost 13 years in this industry, there are many distinct moments that feel like gifts: student meetings that turn into real-life friendships, congratulatory hugs and high fives, hallway exchanges to say hello, events celebrating next steps, and impromptu debrief sessions on the latest drama. Engaging with you throughout the academic year beyond your application tasks was a privilege. Witnessing your brilliance and support for one another was special to our team. There are many harmony builders among you, and we’ll miss that energy on campus. Thank you for envisioning new and exciting ways to celebrate one another. Thank you for using your voices to bring awareness, propagate ideas, and solve problems. I’m proud of the way you indulged in every opportunity for growth and collaboration. The Class of 2021 will always hold a special place in my heart and career. We experienced a lot of firsts together. Between the wave of limited testing opportunities, new testoptional practices, and unprecedented application numbers, you were a part of ushering in a new era of college admission practices and a part of a new blueprint for college counseling. Additionally, you were the first group of seniors in Lovett’s history to navigate life on campus in person during a global pandemic. All of this while becoming new leaders of the Upper School; you demonstrated a great deal of flexibility and patience. Our team will always be grateful for your positive attitudes and go-with-the-flow mentality. Thank you for your grace and good humor while we introduced doorbells to the CC suite, hybrid college counseling meetings, college counseling quick tip videos, cupcakes in exchange for admission decision updates, and college t-shirt day in the stadium. Lastly, thank you for the memories, the laughs, and the lifelong connections. Thank
you for the heart that you gave to the process and our office. My hope for the Class of 2021 is that you’ll give yourself permission to live authentically, practice self-love and self-care, seek out help and make connections with people that support you continue caring about your community and your impact on the world. As you experience growth in your new college community, I hope you hold onto the core values you’ve grown accustomed to at Lovett: love, belonging, intellect, faith, and purpose. I also hope you’ll share a note of thanks or a moment of gratitude for the people in your lives that have given you gifts like what I’ve described in this note. Thank you, Class of 2021, for all that you are and will be. We look forward to welcoming you back to the Riverbank soon!
“
THANK YOU FOR THE MEMORIES, THE LAUGHS, AND THE LIFELONG CONNECTIONS. THANK YOU FOR THE HEART THAT YOU GAVE TO THE PROCESS AND OUR OFFICE. THANK YOU, CLASS OF 2021, FOR ALL THAT YOU ARE AND WILL BE.
OH, THE PLACES
THEY’LL GO! ALABAMA
University of Alabama (6) Auburn University (8)
CALIFORNIA
California Polytechnic State University Loyola Marymount University Scripps College University of California, Los Angeles University of California, San Diego University of Southern California (2)
COLORADO
Colorado College (2)
D.C.
Georgetown University George Washington University
FLORIDA
Florida State University Rollins College Stetson University University of Miami (2)
GEORGIA
Georgia Institute of Technology (6) Kennesaw State University University of North Georgia (4) University of Georgia (22)
ILLINOIS
Northwestern University University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
NORTH CAROLINA
Elon University The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Wake Forest University (3)
LOUISIANA
OHIO
Loyola University New Orleans (2) Tulane University (4)
MARYLAND
United States Naval Academy (2)
Miami University (2)
PENNSYLVANIA
MASSACHUSETTS
Babson College Boston College (4) Boston University Brandeis University Northeastern University (3) Tufts University
MISSISSIPPI
University of Mississippi
Carnegie Mellon University Pennsylvania State University University of Pittsburgh
SOUTH CAROLINA
Clemson University (3) University of South Carolina (4) Wofford College
TENNESSEE
Belmont University Rhodes College (2) University of the South: Sewanee Vanderbilt University
TEXAS
Washington University at St Louis (4)
Baylor University Southern Methodist University (2) Texas Christian University (3) The University of Texas at Austin
MONTANA
VIRGINIA
MISSOURI
Montana State University (2)
NEW YORK
Colgate University New York University Fordham University Hofstra University New York University The New School Vassar College
University of Virginia (4) Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Washington & Lee University (2)
WISCONSIN University of Wisconsin, Madison
OVERSEAS The Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po)
“THE CLASS OF 2021 PERSEVERED THROUGH A SCHOOL YEAR UNLIKE ANY OTHER! THEY DEVELOPED UNCOMMON RESILIENCE, EMPATHY, AND SELF-KNOWLEDGE THAT THEY TAKE WITH THEM TO INSTITUTIONS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AND ABROAD.” -PATRICK BOSWELL, HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL
EXCERPT FROM OUR
VALEDICTORIAN
Nikita Gupta, Class of 2021
movies. Besides being better than any superhero franchise out there, Marvel movies are comforting, not only for their ability to entertain, but because of their applicability to our daily lives. Similar to us, the characters face situations out of their control. What makes them great (besides their superpowers) is their willingness to get up and fight for a better life, even when the chips are down. We, Class of 2021, have been through a lot – but our legacy is not defined by our hardships. Rather, it is determined by resilience. When COVID struck and in-person schooling shut down, we acclimated to virtual learning. When we witnessed injustice, we made our voices heard, from walking in Black Lives Matter marches to voting for the first time. When my friends and I realized we forgot to make reservations at Andretti’s post-prom, we shook if off and went to Waffle House instead.
Before I begin, I want to thank everyone who has made my being here possible: teachers, friends, my parents, my sister, and all of you, Class of 2021. It takes a village. I think it goes without saying, these past couple years have been crazy. COVID came into our lives Junior year just like American Studies: difficult and overwhelming at times. However, as we always do, we tried to make the best of it. Between prom on the turf and graduation here today, we are so fortunate to have spent these moments together, albeit six feet apart. Our compassion for one another throughout this time and our ability to adapt are skills that will serve us throughout our lives. Just imagine the next time you go to a job interview or your future child asks what senior year was like; you can tell them you literally survived a pandemic, all while taking your SATs, filling out college applications, and making sure you got enough toilet paper before it ran out at the store again. In all seriousness, this has been a challenging year for many. We have known friends and relatives who have struggled through COVID diagnoses. We have watched as innocent Black lives and Asian lives were taken. We have experienced a tumultuous election season, on the national, state, and local levels. When I felt down or like I just needed a break, I turned to one of my favorite distractions: Marvel
Years from now, you won’t remember that poor grade or that missed goal. What you will remember is the time you got back up, did your best, and most importantly, made memories with friends. Whether your memories include enduring grueling workouts or having a wild night at West Paces, your legacy is defined by the moments you leave behind. As we look ahead to the next chapter in our lives, I want to remind you all to be conscious of those moments and of the actions you choose to take. We all deserve to be here today. Regardless of your grades or athletic ability or musical talent, you have all worked incredibly hard to reach this point. The future lies ahead: exciting for sure but uncharted. When you face uncertainty or temptation, as we all will, I encourage you to remember your moments of strength and dedication during your time here. It is a testament to how insane this year has been that news like Dr. Oz hosting Jeopardy! and SpaceX’s “Dogecoin to the Moon” mission barely rattled headlines. But, if anyone can handle what lies ahead, it is all of you. As Iron Man so aptly said, “It’s not about how much we lost, it’s about how much we have left. We’re the Avengers. We gotta finish this.” While we may not be the Avengers, we can certainly be heroes. I would define what “hero” means, but I promised myself while I was writing this that I would not quote a dictionary under any circumstance. So, I’ll leave the interpretation up to you. If we could survive this year, we can thrive through anything. It’s been a privilege to address you all today and I look forward to seeing the legacies you create as we graduate into the next stage of our lives. Congratulations to the Class of 2021, we made it!
EXCERPT FROM OUR
Will Novak, Class of 2021
SALUTATORIAN
the next eight years, I made friends, read The Magic Treehouse, and played what was called football. Then, one year I had to give it all up when I was flown to the other side of the globe, and dropped off into a place where tissues were now Kleenexes, football was played with your hands, and year three was second grade. Fitting in wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to do. I was shy, skinny, and nerdy – not a great combination. I would grow close with one friend group or another, then people would drift. All the while, the threat of having to give it all up again and move away loomed overhead. As I’ve been talking to you, however, I’ve been missing a large part of the puzzle. See, a fundamental concept in economics is the idea of opportunity cost. To find it, divide what you are giving up by what you will get. If what you get is worth more to you than what you’re giving up, then your cost for that opportunity is low.
Friends, family… teachers, mentors… I write this message to you on my way to Savannah to play Pace in the soccer state championship. When I woke up Wednesday morning and found out that we would be making this trip, in a daze I thought coach Sherman was just joking with us. As I made breakfast, however, my mom asked me what I wanted to do. Then it hit me - tomorrow was also Senior Honors Night, where I was supposed to give this speech. I had to make a choice – should I give up on seeing my peers be awarded for their hard work and talent, as well as a chance to thank everyone who has helped me along the way, or should I give up on the chance of being there with my team as we take on our biggest rival? A few years ago I would’ve been completely unsure, but on that Wednesday morning, the choice was clear. In the past few years, Lovett has become like a family to me, like I’m sure it has for many of you. Whether I’m in the classroom, on stage, or on the field. Without hesitation, I knew I was going with my team to state. I don’t think I’m alone when I say that I’ve become quite familiar with “giving up” in the past year or two. We’ve had to give up seasons of sports, fancy dances with dates, academic team tournaments, late night tech runs in the theater, and the list just keeps going on. However, even before 2020, I had to give up a lot. Though I was born here in Atlanta, just a few months later, my family moved to Bangkok, Thailand. Over
I’ve found that over the years, we start to forget what we’ve given up as what we’ve gotten starts to build up slowly. Eventually, when you take time to reflect, you realize how much progress you’ve made. I think it was early in the fall semester of junior year when I turned around and realized that I had finally felt at home here. Along with other upperclassmen, I helped newcomers get accustomed to the theater and academic team communities, and I was looking forward to an amazing season of soccer with guys I’ve been playing with for years. These organizations, and many more, are like the rooms that made up my home here at Lovett. I suppose that’s why giving up on everything last year hurt more than ever before. I suppose that’s why I didn’t hesitate about going to state that Wednesday morning. This season especially, soccer has made me feel at home, and there wasn’t a chance I was going to miss our last match together, even if what I was giving up was also something special to me. That’s why I think I had a hard time imagining myself at college. I think I first had to deal with the fact that, no matter where I went, I was giving up all of this, on seeing you all every day. Lovett has given me a home, unforgettable experiences, and an amazing place to learn. Most importantly, however, it has given me a support system, people who will be there for me just as much as I will be there for them. Now, however, is the time to go. But, if you’re worried about what life is going to be like after this, just remember there are so many opportunities coming your way, and everything important that you’ve “gotten” - your experiences, your lessons, and each other - will stay with you for years to come. I want to thank you all, my teachers, my mentors, my family, the academic team, the soccer guys, the theater department, the lunchtime bridge brigade, and all y’all, the senior class of 2021, for being there every step of the way. Thank you.
EXCERPT FROM OUR EVA EDWARDS LOVETT
AWARD RECIPIENT
Hello everyone. First and foremost I want to say thank you. Thank you to all of my wonderful teachers from Kindergarten to my final year. I also want to thank the faculty and administration that do the work behind the scenes that we do not see. I also want to thank my fellow classmates, for the immense amount of kindness and respect you all have shown to me over the years. Finally, I must thank my family, mom, dad, my brother, my uncle and cousin who are here today, as well as the family and family friends who could not be here today. I am able to be who I am only through you all’s love and support. We are finally here. Your last assignments and obligations from the Lovett School have been completed, and if they haven’t, it is too late now. I think this moment is sweeter from the challenges we have overcome. The most obvious being the global pandemic which dampered our ability to connect with each other and caused the deaths of loved ones. But we also faced a variety of other challenges. The unjust deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and others, as well as the protests and discussions that followed created a difficult climate for many in our community, particularly our Black students. We also had to navigate through the political tensions that came with a particularly polarizing presidential election. On top of all of these challenges, we balanced the same regimen of extracurriculars, class work, as well as the
Chase Jeter, Class of 2021
stressful process of applying to colleges. We’ve been through a lot. And so I am glad to be standing here, able to say that we made it. We are writing the final sentence to this chapter in our lives, ready to start the next. And this next chapter is what I want to talk to you about, because soon, we are all going to be in completely new environments, surrounded by people who don’t know us. When Ryan gets to Georgetown, he will no longer be the goofy, socially conscious basketball player who occasionally throws chairs in the student lounge. Mina will no longer be the smart girl with vaguely related facts about tomatoes. Lucas will no longer be the social, smart yet mischievous troublemaker. I will no longer be your handsome, tall, and confident leader. And in this fact lies an amazing opportunity to decide who we will be. We will soon be a blank canvas, and my suggestion to you all, and to myself as well, is to reflect on how we want to paint it. Take some serious time this summer to think about what you admired from the people around you. I know I admired Henry Haden’s work ethic. Efe’s and Kendall Hart’s kindness. Lucien’s awareness of current events. And as you think of these traits that you admired, write them down, and commit to developing these traits as you move through this next chapter in life. Before I finish, and I promise I’ll finish soon, I would also like to suggest just two characteristics that I think are really important. The first is happiness. We spend so much time, especially as teenagers, worrying about our achievements. Our grades, our extracurriculars, and how others perceive us. And so little time putting genuine effort into our own mental state. Happiness, like anything else we want, requires effort. It requires exploring what subject matters you enjoy studying. It requires exploring what activities and habits make you feel consistently good. It requires exploring which relationships are healthy and which are not. And for some of us, it will require seeking out professional resources. We must figure out what our own happiness requires, and prioritize those requirements, even if it’s difficult. Just as you have a right to your happiness, others have a right to theirs. My second suggestion is to be considerate. Considerate for the feelings, opinions, backgrounds, and happiness of others. Again, learning consideration, as well as actually implementing it, requires effort and practice. It requires exposing ourselves to the perspectives of others, and relinquishing our own biases while trying to understand those new perspectives. It requires actively thinking about how our actions and words might impact the lives of others. These are not easy tasks. Especially for people, like me, who love to be right. But we will soon join new communities, which will include a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives. A consideration for those in these new communities, as well as those from our old communities, make it easier for them and for us to find happiness. And that’s it. I’m excited to discover who we all become during this next chapter. But for now, congratulations to the Class of 2021.
new traditions
From Opening Chapel (featuring the annual Senior and Kindergarten processional) to pep rallies, the football game against Westminster to the senior walk at the start of the year, traditions are so important to us here on the Riverbank. In addition to the classics, the graduates of the Class of 2021 were able to enjoy some new traditions, including bagpipers and a fireworks show at graduation, an address from the Eva Edwards Lovett Award recipient, streamed graduation (so extended family and friends could watch from a distance), and a Senior picnic at TopGolf.
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