Sanford Honors 13 New Cum Laude Inductees

The evening began with remarks from guest speaker Ryan Friedman '17, who recently completed his doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania last November and now serves as a Senior Scientist in Oral Formulation Sciences at Merck. Drawing on his own experience at Sanford, Ryan spoke candidly about the unexpected value of a well-rounded education, reflecting on how his English, history, and art classes proved just as formative to his career as his work in science and math.

Ryan challenged students to look beyond the subjects that come naturally to them. "The most important skills that I have as a scientist and as an engineer are not skills that I learned in a science classroom or a math classroom," he said. "They're the ones I learned by looking at a piece of art, by dissecting themes in a novel, by sitting in my history class." He reminded students that excelling in a technical field is only part of the equation, noting that the ability to communicate complex ideas to a general audience is what truly sets professionals apart.

Ryan closed his remarks the same way he ended his Class Day speech in 2017. "At some point, everyone on this stage will leave Sanford," he said. "That's expected, that's good. But the reality is that Sanford never really leaves you. The way that you approach problems, the habits that you build here, those are the things that are going to continue with you as you progress through your career."

Each inductee was introduced by a faculty member who shared personal remarks about the student's academic journey, character, and contributions to the Sanford community. The tributes were a testament to the depth of connection between Sanford teachers and their students.

The induction was led by current members of the Cum Laude Society, Class of 2026, who guided the formal ceremony and shared the history and mission of the society with the newest inductees.

In her closing remarks, Head of School Jaime Morgan '02 celebrated both the academic accomplishments and the character of the inductees. "Tonight you are recognized for both of those things," she said, referring to academic excellence and integrity. She charged students to carry their curiosity forward: "Keep pushing yourself intellectually, not just for grades, but for the joy of it. Be curious and ask, what if? That's where all the magic is going to live."

Class of 2027 Sean Joyner, Morgan Kalish, Olive Lefkon, Katherine McCrea, Weiyi "Jessica" Meng, Summer Millard, and Alexander Musiychuk

Class of 2026 Isabella Atwood, Brenna Bowers, Alexander Gannon, Alice Goodall, Tianyue "Amy" Jin, Abigail Krape, and Abigail Smith

Thank you to our faculty for the thoughtful remarks they shared about each inductee, and to the current members of the Cum Laude Society, Class of 2026, who helped lead the ceremony: Caden Butcher, Julia Caldwell, Adithi Chandra, William Coleman, Rachel Durbano, Ada Henry, and Camille Opher.

Congratulations to all of our inductees. We are enormously proud of the scholars and people you have become.