College Bound! PGs Earn Certificates at May 17 Ceremony
Postgraduates celebrate college commitments, academic milestones with speeches, fanfare
Postgraduate students at Cheshire Academy on Friday received their certificates, enjoying sunny skies, cheers from family and friends, and wise words from guest speaker Richard Ferraro, a postgrad from the Class of 1971, and student Mattis Karrasch, PG ’24, of Hamburg, Germany.
“I got to know a whole bunch of cool people in this community. And that is what CA is all about: community,” Karrasch said. “I met folks from all over the world. I tried new food. I tried new things. I got to know the people who shared this space with me. The teachers, coaches, dorm parents who cared about me and my classmates. I came to view all of these things and people as part of my new community, and I enjoyed the time I spent here.”
Many of the PG graduates have signed athletic commitments to play for teams at colleges and universities across the country, including Yale University, Merrimack College, Wagner College, UConn, Skidmore College, and James Madison University.
Ferraro told the group he considered his time at Cheshire Academy a pivotal year. “I grew not only in the classroom and on the field, but most importantly as a person,” he said. “To this day, I consider my time at CA a major turning point in my life.”
CA offers a postgraduate program for students looking to strengthen and develop their academic skills, improve their academic portfolio and prepare for their next step with an additional year of college prep education. PGs are eligible to participate in athletics and activities and are an integral part of daily life at the school.
Assistant Head of School Adolphus Clinton presented the Armando Simosa ’08 Award to Christopher White, of San Diego, CA, who will play football for Yale this fall. The award is given in memory of a postgraduate student from Venezuela, who played three varsity sports at CA and entering the combined engineering program at Clark University and Columbia University before his untimely passing.
Head of School Julie Anderson challenged the graduates to remember their roots at CA, where they learned respect for other cultures and belief in the good of humanity and doing what is right.
“You are strong, bright, courageous, open-minded, and bold,” she said. “Stand tall for yourself, for others, for the environment, for peace, and for justice.”
The Cheshire Academy Postgraduate Class of 2024:
Joseph Booska, of Stratford, CT
Michael Patrick Bowman, of Cheshire, CT
Abigail Bradbury, of Deep River, CT
Mason Ryan Thomas Breton, of Manchester, CT
Edward W. Dresch, III, of Lititz, PA
Mattis Karrasch, of Hamburg, Germany
Reilly Marston-Chakan, of Berkeley, CA
Zakary Morales, of Wolcott, CT
Marcus Aidan Murphy, of Larchmont, NY
Kira Ann Ortega, of New Rochelle, NY
Kirk Anthony Ortega, II, of New Rochelle, NY
Sebastian Ralph Sampieri, of Monroe, CT
Riley Hazelwood Swan, of Guilford, CT
Leonidas Vlogianitis, of Garden City, NY
Christopher White, of San Diego, CA
Zachary P. Worzel, of Milford, CT
Zachary R. Zhang, of Westport, CT
