Senior Speakers [Feb. 28]

The 2021-2022 Senior Speaker series continued on February 28 and featured eight members of the Class of 2022: Cole Vandevanter, Jake Wolinski, Sophia Molander, Manoush Pajouh, Ashley Parrow, Hope Selvitelli, Fedor Vlasov, and Tessa Heick.

Cole Vandevanter, a four-year senior from Suffield, Connecticut, centered his chapel speech around his experience playing soccer this year, relating it to how he feels about Suffield as a whole. He said, “Win, lose, or draw, the sense of community that’s been established here allows for growth and success in all aspects of our lives.”

One-year senior from North Andover, Massachusetts Jake Wolinski spoke about the rivalry that exists in the Army-Navy football game, and how it’s actually much more complex than that single word. He said, “As great as the football game is, it is just a fraction of what the entire game experience represents... I’m talking about the showing of togetherness and brotherhood between the two teams and the support the game gets from all across the world.”

Sophia Molander, a four-year senior from Suffield, Connecticut, and Manoush Pajouh, a four-year senior from Westfield, Massachusetts, delivered their speech together, sharing how they have been dressing in themes for the past year and half—even creating a websiteto share with their peers and asking for theme suggestions. They shared, “How do we come up with our themes? Well, we draw inspiration from the various sources around us. Pieces of our identity, such as our coffee order or our favorite book... We even make themes crafted to last the entire week, such as our planet saga or our astrology charts.”

Ashley Parrow, a four-year senior from Southwick, Massachusetts, spoke of her great love of the restaurant Olive Garden and how she’s enjoyed making lasting memories there with her friends. She said, “I want to encourage the rest of you to get some of your friends together and go out to Olive Garden, because chances are you will make some crazy memories.”

Hope Selvitelli, a four-year senior from Suffield, Connecticut, spoke about growing up in a small town and having big dreams about seeing the world. She said, “Traveling takes you out of your comfort zone and inspires you to try new things, learn about different cultures, and explore new surroundings.”

Fedor Vlasov, a four-year senior from Moscow, Russia, addressed the fear and unknown surrounding the current conflict happening between his home nation and Ukraine, while also touching on the harm of stereotypes. After watching a TED Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie about how often you hear something and believe it in that moment, he said, “Chimamanda’s point is that it is really important to get the proper information and not get fooled by the stereotypes.”

A four-year senior from Westfield, Massachusetts Tessa Heick shared stories from her summer job at Dunkin’, which included waiting on a customer with FBI license plates. She learned: “One, don’t take yourself too seriously. Two, don’t take anyone else too seriously. Three, you never know when the FBI is in the car behind you. And finally, things aren’t always as they seem.”

The senior speaker series is a valuable Suffield Academy tradition and capstone part of the Leadership Program. It is a weekly highlight in our community.

« View All Chapel Presentations »