Families to gather for commencement on June 8

The+graduation+committee+has+selected+the+senior+speakers+and+performers+for+the+Class+of+2023%E2%80%99s+graduation+ceremony+taking+place+at+Rockefeller+Chapel+from+2-4+p.m.+on+June+8.%0AAmy+Solomon%2C+Class+of+2010%2C+will+give+the+commencement+address.

Midway Staff

The graduation committee has selected the senior speakers and performers for the Class of 2023’s graduation ceremony taking place at Rockefeller Chapel from 2-4 p.m. on June 8. Amy Solomon, Class of 2010, will give the commencement address.

Mia Lipson, News Editor

The graduation committee has selected the senior speakers and performers for the Class of 2023’s graduation ceremony taking place at Rockefeller Chapel from 2-4 p.m. on June 8.

Amy Solomon, Class of 2010, will give the commencement address. Camille Bryant and Sydney Tyler, class president, will each address their classmates. 

Louis Auxenfans will perform a song on clarinet and Zara Baig, Fermi Boonstra, Zoe Johns and Kriti Sarav have been selected to sing together. 

Families will be able to obtain up to six tickets per graduating student, per Rockefeller Chapel’s capacity.

After the ceremony, the Parents’ Association will host a reception in Ida Noyes Hall, which will include food and feature musical performances.

Ms. Solomon, a third-generation Lab lifer who is now a writer, comedian and film producer, thinks of her time at Lab as meaningful and special. From running through the forest at sixth grade camp to soccer practice with Michael Moses to Bel Canto with Katy Sinclair, Ms. Solomon’s time at Lab is characterized by these stand-out memories.

“I just felt like Lab was such an incredibly open-minded progressive community. I just never felt hindered in any way,” she said. “You know, I just felt like you could be a leader and kind of whatever you want, and I felt like there was a lot of opportunity to take on whatever you were interested in.”

Ms. Solomon went on to graduate from Princeton University, where she majored in journalism and pursued creative writing and comedy. She now works in Los Angeles. She has worked on shows such as “Barry” and “Silicon Valley,” and wrote a book entitled “Notes From the Bathroom Line,” which features poetry, essays and artwork.

In her speech to the Class of 2023, Ms. Solomon hopes to inspire students to reflect on their time at Lab and look optimistically to their future.

“I felt like high school was so intense and so résumé- and success-focused, and you’re trying to, like, be this incredibly high-achieving person — and all of that is good — but also I think so much of life is about having happy experiences and looking beyond those achievements,” Ms. Solomon said. “I think now I want to encourage people to just take a step back and breathe and have fun.”

Dean of Students Ana Campos believes Ms. Solomon’s experience at Lab and her experience in comedy will allow her to connect to the graduating students in a unique way.

“The fact that she was a ‘Labbie’ means she just understands the Lab experience, and she can really talk about it,” Ms. Campos said. 

Ms. Campos is excited to gather on this momentous day as families unite to celebrate members of the Lab community. 

“I think it’s just a really wonderful day for the whole Lab community, even for families who don’t have seniors graduating, Ms. Campos said. “The ceremony is just the culmination of the Lab journey for so many families and, for so many, after 15 years at this school, so I think it’s always a really special day and special moment.”