On Sunday, May 27, The Governor’s Academy held its 255th Commencement exercises, celebrating the graduation of 120 seniors.
After receiving their diplomas in front of family and friends, graduates spent a few minutes celebrating with faculty and classmates on the lawn in front of the historic Little Red Schoolhouse, then friends joined hands and took a metaphoric leap into the next chapter of their lives. The jumping of the wall, when graduates literally jump over the stone wall behind the Mansion House, has been a tradition since the 1950s and continues to be a treasured and significant ritual for each graduating class.
Delivering the Commencement address this year was Secretary John Kerry. Secretary Kerry served as the 68th United States Secretary of State from 2013 to 2017. As America’s top diplomat, he guided the Department’s strategy on nuclear nonproliferation, combating radical extremism, and the threat of climate change. His tenure was marked by the successful negotiation of the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris Climate Agreement.
From 1985 to 2013, he served as a U.S. Senator representing Massachusetts, and was Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2009 to 2013. He served in the U.S. Navy, completing two combat tours of duty in Vietnam for which he received a Silver Star, a Bronze Star with Combat V, and three Purple Hearts. He received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his law degree from Boston College Law School. He currently serves as the Distinguished Fellow for Global Affairs at Yale University and the Visiting Distinguished Statesman for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
An independent secondary school graduate and long-time public servant, Secretary Kerry urged Governor’s graduates to be confident about the future and challenged them to make the choice to make a difference in the world.
Secretary Kerry addressed the graduates saying “leave here today with genuine confidence about the future. Each of you will leave this place with a different path in mind. The world is moving so fast that I guarantee you that many of you will ultimately embark on a career in a company that is not yet founded today, using devices not yet developed today, based on ideas not yet expressed today. But no matter where you end up, please never underestimate the power of each of you to make a choice to choose to make a difference.”
The Thorndike Hilton Cup, "awarded to the highest ranking scholar of the graduating class,” was presented to Holly Zheng of Beijing, China. Zheng was also awarded the Morse Flag, which is presented each year "to a senior whose record in all respects meets the highest approval of the faculty."
The Academy Prize was presented to Eni Owoeye of Baltimore, Maryland. This prize is "awarded to a senior whose unselfishness and sportsmanship have best exemplified the spirit of the school."
Kyle Rochford of North Hampton, New Hampshire was the recipient of the Peter W. Bragdon Head of School Cup, which is "given to that senior, who in the judgment of the Head of School, serves the mission of the school."
Congratulations to the Class of 2018!