JUNE 23, 2025

On Thursday, June 12, over 900 community members gathered at the Church of Heavenly Rest to celebrate the Class of 2025’s Commencement. Class VIII Co-presidents Olivia T. ’29 and Summer P. ’29 led the professional community processional for the second year in a row, officially formalizing the tradition in Nightingale’s history, and honoring late Associate Head of School and Head of Middle School Claire du Nouy. Once Class IX–XI and the Class of 2025 processed, community members turned their attention to Head of School Mr. Burke, who welcomed guests to Nightingale’s 101st Commencement ceremony, before turning it over to Senior Class Co-president Sophia Oshrin ’25, to present the Class of 2025.

“We actually made it,” Sophia began. “For some it took 13 years, and for others, it took less. But regardless of the amount of time spent at Nightingale, each of us has left our mark and contributed to the Nightingale community and the world around us in our own way.”

To share just how much the Class of 2025 did during their time at Nightingale, Sophia asked her peers a series of questions, asking them to each stand if the question applied to them. Student leaders, varsity athletes, study abroad-goers, and more all took turns standing, most of them doing so multiple times. By the end of the questions, all students were standing, representing their extraordinary involvement in Upper School during their time at Nightingale.

Next, Student Council Vice President Eloise Jones ’25 honored the accomplishments of outgoing leaders and recognized the incoming leaders, signifying the centrality of student leadership at Nightingale. Each new leader received a medallion of honor, designed by Daria de Koning ’98. As each name was read, outgoing leaders exchanged a hug with incoming leaders, and congratulations on their new roles.

Each year, the graduating class elects their student speaker for commencement. Senior Class Co-president Stella Anderson ’25 introduced her peer, Jada Clarke ’25, and shared why she was nominated for the role.

“For the past 13 years at Nightingale, Jada's infectious smile, contagious laugh, and unwavering confidence have radiated within the blue doors. Some of you may know her for her unbelievable talent on the track field. This year, she led the Nightingale team to become the AAIS and NYSAIS Champions, earning the GOAT Award—greatest of all time—in her final season this spring. Others for her role and leadership in the Ladies of Color Stand Club. No matter the activity, Jada truly exemplifies Nightingale's values of truth, friendship, and loyalty. Grounded in her faith, she leads by example. She is the first person to volunteer to help, whether it is setting up materials for an integrated bonding activity, spontaneously helping someone in the hallways, or wisely making decisions on the student hiring committee, her thoughtfulness for her community is contagious, and she inspires those around her to be better—a true leader.”

With a round of applause, Jada made her way to the podium and began by reflecting on the Class of 2025’s senior year and their entire time at Nightingale. She highlighted where truth, friendship, and loyalty showed up in their experiences—on field days, class trips, peer groups, and more.

“This class has shown me what loyalty looks like and the way they show up for each other. Every single time our teachers saw us grow from wide-eyed students, unsure of our voice, to seniors using them to lead, advocate and create. Faith is the belief in something even when you can't see the outcome. It's trust, not in perfection, but in possibility and throughout our time at Nightingale, our teachers, parents and mentors, have had faith in us…They say the way to test the quality of a diamond is to put it under pressure, immense, unrelenting pressure, the kind that could break something weak, but a real diamond, it doesn't crack, it endures, and under that pressure, it shines. That's exactly what we've been through. We've been tested by challenges we didn't expect by long nights, hard goodbyes and the pressure of growing into ourselves. But we didn't crack,” Jada said. “We were shaped by that pressure. Every late night study, every hard conversation, every risk we took refined us. We are not just students. We are not just the graduating class. We are diamonds, pressed by time, shaped by challenge, and now shining brighter than ever.”

Student Council Co-president Lucy Farman-Farmaian ’25 then introduced the Class of 2025’s commencement speaker, noting the characteristics of the speaker they had been searching for: someone who is bold, wise, inspiring, and empathetic, and familiar—in addition to embodying what it means to be a Nightingale student.

“That's what makes the school special,” Lucy explained. “Here, greatness isn't measured only by awards or accolades. It's measured by the quiet moments of courage, the shared joy of discovery; the hands we hold literally and figuratively as we grow. And that brings me to the extraordinary person we welcome today. She once walked through these same blue doors, not as a guest, but as a Nightingale student. In fact, she walked us in through those doors on our very first day of Kindergarten. It was 2012. We were nervous holding tightly to the hands of seniors who seemed so tall and so confident. One of those hands belonged to today's speaker.”

With that, the Class of 2025 welcomed Laura Plimpton ’13 to the podium, who is preparing to graduate with her PhD in ecology, evolution, and environmental biology from Columbia University. There, she studies how raccoons, skunks, and possums navigate city streets and how disease travels between their world and ours. Prior to her PhD, Laura graduated from Bowdoin in 2017 with a degree in biology before earning her masters at Columbia in 2020. In September, just after the Class of 2025 walked up the newest class of Kindergarteners, seniors heard from their own Kindergarten Walk-up seniors during a Class of 2013 panel, which Laura was part of.

In her heartfelt address, Laura reflected on her own journey and how a formative summer in Botswana—filled with self-doubt, spiders, and cheetahs—taught her that growth often comes from discomfort. Drawing from her experience, she encouraged graduates to embrace the uncertainty and awkwardness that often come with change. She reminded them that challenges like loneliness, fear, or feeling out of place are not signs of failure but opportunities to evolve. Laura also highlighted the idea of “the stretch”—the uncomfortable, in-between space where real transformation happens—and urged the Class of 2025 to lean into it. She assured them that they are more prepared than they think, thanks to their time at Nightingale.

“That summer didn't cure my fear of spiders or the fear of not belonging, but it taught me that I could live alongside both,” Laura shared. “That, like the cheetah, discomfort isn't a sign you're in the wrong place. Instead: an opportunity to evolve, and that is what I want to leave you with today. Whether it is loneliness, awkwardness, not being sure what you want to do next, or a very bold arachnid: challenges come in many forms, but they often lead to growth…[The stretch] is not something to run from. It's something to lean into, because when you stretch, you're reaching for something just beyond what you thought you were capable of.”

After a round of applause, President of the Board of Trustees Kathleen McCartthy Baldwin P’31 P’33 spoke, expressing deep gratitude and admiration for the graduating class. She praised the Class of 2025 for embodying the core values Nightingale strives to instill—kindness, curiosity, poise, resilience, and ambition—which serve as powerful role models for younger students, like her own daughters. Highlighting their diverse achievements, from athletic excellence to scientific innovation, she emphasized that true excellence at Nightingale is defined not just by accomplishment but by integrity, empathy, and collaboration. Kathleen referenced the 10,000 hours theory, and explained that the graduates have mastered the art of balancing brilliance with compassion. She affirmed that the skills they’ve developed—clear thinking, empathy, inclusion—set them apart in today’s world.

“All over the country, graduating classes are hearing about how they are special,” Ms. Baldwin said. “I promise you, sincerely and based on my own experiences, that the competencies you have gained at Nightingale put you in a highly differentiated position relative to most humans on Earth. Today, the excellence you have co-created with each other and with your teachers inside the blue doors will flow out into the wider world, and we are so excited to see all of the ways that you will use what you have learned to have a positive and powerful impact for all of us.”

Head of Upper School Nichole Foster-Hinds then read the names of each graduate as they walked across the front of the hall, shaking hands with Mr. Burke and Ms. Baldwin, each receiving their diploma. As each row made their way back to their seats onstage, they turned their tassels, signifying the transition of student to alumna.

As the final graduate found her seat, Ms. Foster-Hinds congratulated the class, and a sea of navy caps and tassels were tossed into the sky.

“Nightingale remains for you, forever,” Mr. Burke said. “You are ready. Here we sit for one more moment, in our spots, by ourselves, joined together by you. Nightingale’s 2025—singular in spirit and enduring in memory—down that aisle and out that door, beyond all barriers, clearing paths of mind and heart. Congratulations to our 101st graduating class, the Nightingale Class of 2025!”