An evening of erudition: 22 seniors enter Cum Laude Society

By Kalen Russell, Asst. Director of Marketing & Communications

“I am excited by the possibility of turning questions into solutions. In the future, I aspire to use knowledge combined with human connection to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives,” University School of Nashville 2026 Cum Laude Society Inductee.

In a world that prioritizes ease, self-sufficiency, and automation, quotes like these are rare, but among the 22 newest inductees into USN’s Cum Laude Society, similar sentiments abound.

On Tuesday, October 27, in the Payne Library Room, High School administrators inducted 22 members of the Class of 2027 into the USN Chapter of the Cum Laude Society. Before the ceremony, each inductee was asked to reflect on their interest in scholarship and learning. Cum Laude Society sponsors read the responses anonymously during Tuesday’s Induction Ceremony. 

Each student approached their response differently, yet each response reflected students’ continuous desire to connect with others and grow as a person.

“My passion for learning comes from my curiosity about the world around me. There is so much to understand in everything we see, and each new year gives us a chance to uncover new things that we did not know before,” read the response of another inductee.

Each year, the top 20% of the senior class who have distinguished themselves in their pursuit of academic excellence and exemplify the Society’s motto, excellence (Areté), justice (Diké), and honor (Timé), are invited to join the USN chapter of the Cum Laude Society. 

The newest members of the USN Cum Laude Society are: Jack Barrett, Charlie Blau, Alder Brandon, Olivia Brown, Elisabeth Crane, Alexandra Drewry, Lucia Gellert, Melis Kurtulus, Abigail Manoukian, Lily Margalit, Eleanor Mixon, Louisa Nordberg, Mia Orefice, Karsen Puzniak, Ruchika Ramachandran, Jacqueline Seale, Elliott Spiller, Laine Theobald, Alexander Truss, Yifan Wang, Madeleine Wiseman, and Julia Young.

“Categorically, these students are interested in more than achievement. They are interested in the community of learning. Making a difference in the world and on our campus as well,” said High School Dean of Student Life and USN Cum Laude Sponsor Justin Karpinos.

“The world is really just such a cool place, full of cool people who do and make cool things. I think taking the time and effort to learn about those things, people, and places is one: a great way to respect and honor their contributions, and two: something that's just super fun in general,” read the response of another inductee. 

The inducted students have helped make our classrooms more vibrant, engaged, and curious places to learn by “driving discussions, pushing the envelope forward with independent studies, creative work, and research,” said Karpinos.

“In my academic journey, I was surprised when I did an independent study and discovered my interest in public policy, something I did not have much prior exposure to. I was also surprised to learn that I was able to discipline myself to plan a long-term project so I could independently learn something completely new to me. From this experience, I learned how important it is to be passionate about something, as it helps me to engage with challenges and enjoy the process,” read the response of an inductee.

After reading the testimonials, High School English Teacher and USN Cum Laude Society sponsor Freya Sachs and Karpinos presented each student with an official Cum Laude Society pin, marking their official induction into the society.

The newly inducted members then heard from guest speaker Sarah Igo, Ph.D. 

Chosen for her scholarship and the relevance of her research, Igo teaches and writes about modern U.S. cultural, intellectual, legal, and political life, serves as the Faculty Director of Dialogue Vanderbilt, and leads The Dialogue CoLab, a national coalition of campuses dedicated to spreading excellent civil discourse practices.

Igo spoke to inductees about the virtue of being wrong and intellectual humility, which at its core requires the inquisitiveness and commitment to growth many students shared in their reflections.

“Intellectual humility is sustained curiosity. It’s an openness that engenders respect for what others might teach us. Risking being wrong, and actively seeking out challenges to what you think, is the secret engine to discovery,” said Igo.

Several student testimonials highlighted early aptitudes for personal discovery made by connecting classroom learning to out-of-school experiences. 

“I think what drives my passion for learning is seeing how things that I learn in school can apply to other parts of my life. For example, I love when I learn a new vocabulary word and then see it everywhere, or I learn a concept in chemistry and then see it happen when I cook. I think the fact that learning allows the things around us to be explained is what makes me want to keep being curious and discovering more about the world,” read the response of an inductee.

Igo went on to encourage all students to apply their academic curiosity to all facets of life.

“I want to suggest to all of you tonight that this business of revision, of active interrogation, of what you think you know, your own messy drafts, should be central, not just your studies, but also to how you think about your future, how you plot your life, and how you conduct your friendships,” said Igo.

Inductee Charlie Blau connected Igo’s suggestions to what he is learning in his Social Conscience Class. “I think it’s interesting to figure out how you can design how you talk to different people you might not agree with in ways that build towards a shared agreement,” Cum Laude Society Inductee Charlie Blau.

The practices of curiosity, conversation, connection, and consensus-building this group of seniors demonstrates daily within the USN community will become even more invaluable post-graduation as students become more enmeshed in the global community. 

“A willingness to course correct, to entertain an argument that challenges you fundamentally, is where education and democracy begin to intersect. A rigorous approach to uncertainty is the antidote to authoritarianism, dogmatism, and biases of all kinds. And, really, no democratic society can survive and flourish without it.” 

In closing, Igo urged students to give themselves the opportunity to be challenged. “I hope you’ll productively stumble. I hope you’ll engage in the worthy struggle to figure out what you really believe by listening to the best arguments of others. Choosing excellence, justice, honor... but a little bit of intellectual humility too,” said Igo. 

Choosing intellectual humility means choosing to be challenged. A choice Blau and fellow inductees will keep making, one conversation at a time. 

“The best conversations are two people who are very different coming together in a way that’s mature. You’re talking to someone with different beliefs; it’s hard to have amicable conversations, but how do you grow from those conversations? You won’t always be given the best situations… but how can you just learn from everything?” said Blau.