On, Saturday, June 10, Viewpoint celebrated the graduation of the 129 members of the Class of 2023. Family, friends, faculty, and students gathered on Ring Family Field for a joyful commencement ceremony, which included performances by the Upper School Concert Choir, Upper School Wind Ensemble, and the Upper School String Quartet, with remarks by Salutatorian Jesse Hutchinson, and the presentation of the Arthur B. O’Leary Award to Jadyn Fournier.

Head of School Mark McKee welcomed the graduates and their families and friends to this very special culmination of their Viewpoint journey. He thanked the faculty and staff, but he also thanked the Class of 2023, who “brought their whole selves to class. Who led, achieved, created, and succeeded in every manner of school endeavor and who made indelible memories along the way.”

This year’s Commencement Speaker, Viewpoint alumna Mehrnoush Yazdanyar ’98, who graduated UCLA in three years, earned her JD at USC, and founded her own law firm in Los Angeles and Kauai, shared her own heartfelt story of learning to trust herself on her journey to realizing her dreams and aspirations. She concluded by telling the graduates, “You don’t always have to know where the next step is going to take you. You just have to be brave enough to take that step.” Even after all of her accomplishments, she wanted to be clear that she is still on this journey. She added “I am still struggling with that inner dialogue. I am still afraid of failing, but I am still moving forward because I would rather look back and know that I tried than wonder what could have been.”

Valedictorian JiaLian Mackey addressed the unique challenges faced by the Class of 2023, whose four-year high school experience was entirely shaped by the pandemic. JiaLian is an aspiring ecologist and conservationist, who will be studying at Harvard College following a gap year devoted to outdoor education and bird research. She concluded her remarks by saying:

“I feel so incredibly lucky to have spent the last four years with you. As our high school days end, we look forward to the new beginnings to come. Certainly, we are graduating into a time when our communities and our country, and the world are facing so many challenges. But sitting here today are our classmates who will be working to combat climate change, bring about gun safety reforms, expand voting rights, women’s rights, and LGBTQ rights, and fight growing racial and economic inequality because we are uniquely well prepared to do this. We have lived and even thrived through challenges and change. Our high school experience, both the adversity that we have overcome and the tools and lessons that our Viewpoint education has given us, makes us ready to take the next step in beginning to address these larger issues. I am proud to be a member of the Viewpoint Class of 2023 and I am excited to see what we all do.”

Despite the overcast weather, the crowd was jubilant. Everyone was thrilled to celebrate this wonderful group of young people. We congratulate the Class of 2023 and wish them every success in the exciting years to come!