Class of 2025 Valedictorian and Salutatorian Announced

Head of School Bob Izzo has announced that seniors Alexander “Alex” Yi and Theodora Aslan have been chosen as the Class of 2025 Valedictorian and Salutatorian, respectively.

Alex joined the Hamden Hall community in the fifth grade and has been heavily involved on campus participating in theatre and musical productions, the literary magazine FACES, Robotics, Poetry Club, Jazz Band where he is co-leader and Rho Kappa, the National Social Studies Honor Society for which he serves as co-president. He will continue his educational pursuits at the University of Connecticut with admittance into the Honors College and was named the recipient of the Presidential Scholars Award. He plans to major in physics. He said he is thrilled to attend UConn as the campus environment and academic setting felt welcoming when he had visited with his sister and Class of 2021 alumna Victoria Yi, who is set to graduate from UConn this month.

Alex noted that his Hamden Hall experience has been one of growth and learning experiences. He said the teaching style and enthusiasm of mathematics teacher Daniel Cuneo made class exciting and allowed him to appreciate and value intuition in the subjects of math and physics. He credited English teacher Jennifer Manley with understanding the importance of self-expression through her Grade 10 English class and Poetry Club along with adding to his personal interest in literature and the classics. 

“The most inherent valuable lesson is to keep learning and work towards growing into yourself, " said Alex. “You have to embody yourself as you want to be embodied. Anyone can do anything with the luck of circumstance, and it is important to realize that we are learning to serve others in a certain way. As we raise ourselves up with education, it is not just for us but to share with other people.”

Theodora has been under the pines since first grade and has been involved in a myriad of clubs, activities, and athletics including serving as president of the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad (NACLO), involvement in Student Government, Peer Leadership, and Middle School Advocates. She is also a member of the Girls’ Varsity Volleyball Team, Junior Varsity Basketball, and Girls’ Varsity Tennis Team.

In the fall, Theodora will attend Yale University where she will major in ethics, politics, and economy. Her enthusiasm for Yale stems from both the feeling of community and closeness reminiscent of Hamden Hall, but also the offering of a quality education and the opportunity to explore different interests.

“I always enjoyed the humanities at Hamden Hall and having interesting discussions with my peers,” noted Theodora. “It allowed me to challenge myself and learn about different perspectives. I really enjoyed writing so I felt that this major combined with my love for writing would be the best for being a lawyer because I'd be able to combine what I love to create change.”

The Hamden Hall experience for Theodora has also been full of cherished friendships and fond memories as she calls her time a full-circle moment. As she began her academic journey in Lower School, she said she has enjoyed engaging in mentorship opportunities and spending time with the younger students as she has had that rewarding experience herself. The supportive mentors have also been impactful in both her academic and personal growth, crediting History Department Chair and teacher Dr. Lisa Hill for guiding her through the process of researching and imploring advice on how to improve her writing.

As she moves on to Yale, Theodora advises fellow students to make the most of their time at Hamden Hall. She recommends challenging oneself and trying new things whether it’s a club or athletic offering. She also suggested taking classes that interest you and working hard on developing relationships with the teachers as they are always there to help when needed. Furthermore, she said she will miss seeing her sister and current freshman Anna Aslan on campus as the joys of seeing each other in the hall and grabbing lunch together truly made the Hamden Hall experience a family one.

The 113th Commencement Ceremony will take place on Friday, June 6, at 10 a.m. in the courtyard with remarks from both Alex and Theodora along with Student Government President Sanjiv Persaud.