Alex Jahangir, the head of Nashville’s COVID-19 task force and Metro Board of Health chair, spoke to students inducted into the Cum Laude Society, which recognizes members of the graduating class who have distinguished themselves for academic excellence.
By Sierra Smith, Communications Specialist
Twenty-four students were inducted into the Cum Laude Society on Thursday, October 7. The keynote speaker was orthopaedic trauma surgeon and leader in Nashville’s response to the coronavirus, Alex Jahangir.
A national organization begun in 1906, the Cum Laude Society recognizes students who have distinguished themselves for academic excellence. The society makes clear academic excellence does not refer only to superior scholarly achievement but also to the qualities of dignity and honor in pursuit of those achievements. The Cum Laude Society’s motto, “Areté, Diké, Timé,” means “excellence, justice, and honor.”
Class of 2022 honorees are:
Adeolu Oluwaseun Ajayi
Josefina Lynn Aronoff
Kaya Leigh Booth
Nia Aralyn Chetkovich
Isaac Erickson Chomsky
Caroline Grace Cramer
Sydney Rebekkah Emeson
Emanoeel Samy Ghabrial
William Walker Grobmyer
Latham Poulson Hall
Laura Peyton Harris
Eden Ruth Horton
Tate Blair Keuler
Acadia Louise LeQuire
Greta Xicai Li
Piers German Mason
Greta Nicole Matthies
Lia Clare Payne
Arnav Voncha Reddy
Nandan Sarkar
Abigail Schoenecker
Wesley August Smail
Elena Annika Wierich
Emilia Grace Zenker
"In reading our inductees' reflections on their learning and scholarship, I was struck by our students' gratitude for each other — for the ways they hold each other to high standards of learning and engagement, of pushing each other to be better students and participants and learners. They are curious and want to understand why; they want to make change in the world," English Department Chair and Cum Laude Chapter Secretary Freya Sachs shared.
Last weekend, Collin Chan ’25 placed in the biomedical sciences category for his poster presentation at the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium.
Aliza Ahmed '26, Uma Ehrig '26, Victor Peng '26, Ruchika Ramachandran '27, and Yvonne Wang '27 participated in the Asian Educators Alliance conference this year in Atlanta, Georgia.
Anna Brook '30, Claire Yu '30, Clio Cherry-Pulay '29, and Liam Mooney '28 took him the championship during the 4th annual USN Middle School Quiz Bowl Championships. Two teams will travel to Chicago to compete in the National Academic Quiz Tournaments Middle School National Championships on Saturday, May 10.
USN Mission: University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.