On Saturday, June 7th, we celebrated the graduation of the Class of 2025, our 17th graduating class here at CJA. It was a beautiful morning honoring a group of students that deserve to be celebrated. Each year’s graduation ceremony serves as the graduating class’s final chapel service. This means we started with the reading of our Praise List as we do at chapel every Friday during the school year.
“The world truly needs you” was a theme that I noticed throughout the reading of the Praise List. While I have spent a lot of time with this group over the years, I was truly impressed with all that the CJA community had to say about the young men they have become and the many gifts they will now share with the world beyond CJA.
The ceremony also included Grad-at-Grad awards, reflective speeches of gratitude from students and a thoughtful speech from our commencement speaker, Mark Laryea. Mr. Laryea is President of Jewel-Osco, a new member of CJA’s Board of Directors and a member of CJA’s Development Committee. Keeping to the thread of what the world needs, here’s the advice he had for our graduates as they prepare for their next steps:
Be kind. Be fair. Be someone others can trust.
You will be remembered far more for how you made others feel than for what you put on your resume. The world needs more people who care – people who listen, lift others up, and do the right thing even when no one is looking.
Whether you become a CEO, a teacher, an artist, or an athlete, your character will always be your most valuable asset.
The CJA community is grateful to Mr. Laryea for his sound advice for our graduates and his thoughtful support of our school community. Through the height of the COVID pandemic, Mr. Laryea and his colleague, Mike Withers – who was then president of Jewel-Osco – were working tirelessly to make sure our CJA community, our neighbors and people throughout Chicago were safe and well fed. Their partnership with us didn’t stop there. In the years that followed, they invited their vendors to join them and our other close friends in raising millions of dollars so we could double the size of our campus, create a new school for girls and more than double our enrollment.
As a CJA alumnus, I know graduation is just the start of a relationship that will last for many years to come. We will continue to keep up with these young men and support them through the work of our College and Career Persistence Team. More importantly, they now have a family that alumni like me have held onto long after we crossed that stage – one that will only continue to grow as more young men and women walk in their shoes in the years to come.
Jae Rule
Development Officer (CJA ’13)
We do not recognize a valedictorian at our commencement ceremonies; nor do we recognize the best programmer, cook, artist, or athlete. Instead, we give five awards in recognition of our graduates’ progress toward our Grad-at-Grad values. In special years, we also give a Phoenix Award, which we were proud to present again this year.
“Julian accepted every bit of critique – positive or negative – with a smile and a willingness to try again. I speak for all of us here at CJA when I say we will miss you and your positivity next year, but we are so excited to see you continue to flourish at Bennett Day School next year.”
– Ms. Geerts-Melaniphy, in recognition of Julian
“While working incredibly hard to cultivate his own learning, Jayden is quick to put others ahead of himself in helping them also achieve success. In group projects, he works to ensure the success of the entire team, often stepping outside his comfort zone to do so. He is gentle and kind and recognized as a ‘great friend’ by his classmates.”
– Mr. Garvert, in recognition of Jayden
“Jamal leads not by being the loudest voice in the room, but by consistently doing what is right, even when no one is watching. His actions reflect a deep commitment to compassion, kindness, and justice for all. Whether offering help without being asked, showing patience in difficult moments, or lifting others through encouragement, Jamal truly lives out the values we hope to instill in our graduates.”
– Mr. Palmer, in recognition of Jamal
“Danny speaks up – not to be heard, but to make sure others are seen. He has a rare kind of courage – the kind that quietly challenges systems most adults simply accept… Danny, you keep believing. You keep showing up. You keep leading with love. And in doing so, you remind the rest of us what it truly means to love mercy, act justly, and walk humbly.”
– Ms. Venkat, in recognition of Danny
“Daniel is great about sharing his knowledge with others. He is a natural teacher, and it has been noticed and commented on by the volunteers who have helped out in Robotics. It’s one thing to seek intellectual excellence, but it is a person for others who shares that intellectual excellence with others in a kind and loving way.”
– Mr. Brunt, in recognition of Daniel
“The phoenix, a legendary bird that rises from the ashes of a fire that consumes it, is our school mascot. This mythical creature epitomizes our intended and aspirational response to adversity. And through our challenges, we are, as a community, called to respond to these fires by re-emerging, gloriously and joyfully from the ashes, born again into that which we were created to be. The Phoenix Award is awarded to the student who has embodied the themes of hope and renewal in a way that has been inspiring throughout their time at CJA.”
“What there’s not a lot of, and what the world needs more of, is people who are willing to not only rise from their own ashes, but to walk with other people on fire and lift them up. And let me tell you, Larry is willing to walk with anyone, shower them in love, and grow together.”
– Mr. Houlihan, in recognition of Larry
We are so impressed by these graduates and all the young men and women we work with each day. While we are excited about the great things they will do in the years to come, it is no small feat to get to this day each year. It takes a village!
To the CJA village,
These young men and their talents are, in big part, a reflection of all you have poured into them. Benefactors, teachers, staff, and – most importantly – parents, I hope you recognize and continue to witness the power of your love in the young men these graduates have become. Thank you.