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On June 3, The Harvey Class of 2025 and their families joined the administration and faculty for a sit-down dinner in The Walker Center for the Arts to celebrate their accomplishments and the milestone that is Commencement.

The Commencement Dinner is a Harvey tradition, seniors coming together to share a last meal as a class, an evening filled with smiles, laughter, reflection, and a few tears before they walk across the stage at Commencement to receive their diplomas.

Senior Speaker Eva (Shiwen) Yin shared her experiences as an international student from China, learning to speak up in a completely different language and try new things. “From my personal experience, if I could share one message with you all, it would be this: be adventurous and embrace challenges,” said Eva. “Studying abroad in the U.S. was one of the bravest decisions I’ve ever made which brought me to some challenging situations, but I’ve never regretted choosing this path,” she said. “What makes adventures meaningful are the new skills we gain, the greater potential we bring out of ourselves, and the precious relationships we build along the way,” said Eva. 

Faculty Speaker and Yearbook Dedicatee Virginia Holmes encouraged the seniors to remember there is one essential skill that is most important as they move forward in college and life. “I believe that every novel we read, every theatrical production we stage, every newspaper we edit, and everything, even every athletic game we play is really about one thing: growing up with integrity,” said Ms. Holmes. Citing noteworthy literary characters who faced hard decisions centered around integrity, Ms. Holmes reminded seniors that while they’ll be encouraged to chase success, they should hold tight to their integrity. “You’ll be encouraged to build your resume, impress your professors, make connections, take risks, seize the day,” Ms. Holmes said. “Yes, seize the day. Grab it with both hands. But don’t lose yourself in the grabbing.”

Eight seniors were recognized as Harvey Survivors, what we affectionately call students who have attended Harvey for all seven years from grades 6-12. They are: Logan Alexander, Ryan Byrne, Ted Clement, Cade Gilligan, Lucien Fried, Emma Lederer, Emily Sorio, and Eva Veneable.

 

Congratulations to the seniors who received scholarships and awards presented during the evening:

The Val's Pal's Foundation, established in memory of Valerie Hanrahan Saldutti, awarded a scholarship in memory of Valerie's son, Stephen Saldutti, to senior Christina Phipps.

 

The Bonelli Family Arts Scholarship was awarded to Natalie Delessio.

 

The New York State Comptroller's Student Achievement Award recipients are Lucien Fried and Ryan Byrne.

 

Awarded the Triple "C" Award (Courage, Commitment, and Character) from the Office of the New York State Attorney General were two senior recipients: Jason Dempsey and Erin Lapides.
 

To see more Commencement Dinner photos, CLICK HERE!