On an afternoon in May, the Ethical Culture Fieldston School celebrated Commencement for the Class of 2025, honoring students’ achievements and memories before they embark on their next chapters.
Entering the Quad alongside their advisories, the graduates greeted friends and family on the way to their seats.
Following Chief Executive Officer Kyle Wilkie-Glass’s welcome, three student speakers took the stage to share reflections with their classmates.
In the first student speech, Reanna Bilbao ’25 spoke about the importance of authenticity and preparation, sharing, “The power of a message lies not just in words, but also in how they’re delivered. Each of us here today has witnessed how thorough and diligent preparation transforms and moves audiences. I ask you to walk into the world without a script because you all are prepared to.”
Alkis Karmpaliotis ’25 reflected on the class reading letters they wrote to themselves as 9th Graders, noting that a lesson of continual evolution has come from their growth and transformation. “If there’s one thing I take with me from Fieldston, it’s that you don’t always need to have all the answers. To have doubt, to be imperfect, is to be alive.”
Natalia Posen ’25 shared peers’ appreciation for faculty and their contributions to everyone’s personal “mosaic,” saying, “Beyond the classroom, Fieldston has taught me how to view the world, take on hard challenges, grow from them, and thank the people who got us there. Our mosaic will expand and become more complex as we grow older, but it will still embody Fieldston values and experiences at their core.”
Commencement speaker Kenneth I. Chenault, Chairman and Managing Director of General Catalyst, former Chairman and CEO of American Express, and parent of two ECFS graduates, emphasized the value of benefiting from uncertainty. “During times of uncertainty and change, we search for direction,” he said. “But we don’t graduate from high school with our life’s compass fully calibrated. We adjust it as we go, correcting course through experiences both planned and unexpected.”
Following the Senior Jazz Ensemble’s performance of “Funky Liza” and farewell remarks from Fieldston Upper Principal Stacey Bobo, the graduates walked across the stage to collect their diplomas.
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The graduation festivities closed with a joyous cap toss to the sounds of the audience’s applause and cheers. After a triumphant round of the Fieldston Upper school song “Iam Canamus,” the newest alumni joined their family and friends to celebrate.
