2025 Commencement Speaker Revealed For Greenwich High School

GREENWICH, CT — The administration and staff of Greenwich High School announced Wednesday that co-founder and CEO of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, Ben Van Leeuwen, will be the 2025 commencement speaker.

The GHS commencement ceremony is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17 at Cardinal Stadium.

Van Leeuwen is a graduate of GHS from the class of 2002.

"I am honored to be the commencement keynote speaker for Greenwich High School - a place that played a meaningful role in shaping my journey," Van Leeuwen said in a news release from the school. "I look forward to sharing my story in a way that inspires and empowers. Drawing on my experiences that began right here, I hope to encourage everyone to discover their passion and pursue a path that leads to real happiness."

“The Greenwich High School graduation ceremony is an epic celebration for not only families of our graduates and our amazing staff, but those alumni that paved the way.” Greenwich HS Principal Mr. Ralph Mayo said. “Ben Van Leeuwen’s success story is rooted in his time as a Cardinal and all of us here on Hillside Road are tremendous admirers of everything he has accomplished.”

Read also: Take A Sneak Peek At Van Leeuwen Ice Cream In Greenwich

Founded in 2008, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream started out of a yellow scoop truck on the streets of New York City by Ben and his brother Pete Van Leeuwen, and Laura O'Neill.

On his way out of an interview at a financial services company, Ben Van Leeuwen had a chance encounter with a Mister Softee ice cream truck that sparked an idea - to create the world’s best ice cream using only the purest, highest quality ingredients, effectively reimagining the ice cream truck experience for the modern consumer.

Van Leeuwen's French-style ice cream, which is made with more than double the amount of egg yolks as standard ice cream, quickly gained a loyal following. Pints can be found in grocery stores across the country.

There are also scoop shops located in Massachusetts, Connecticut - including Greenwich, California, Colorado, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee and Washington D.C. Other locations are coming soon to Atlanta, Chicago and North Carolina.

Following his four years at GHS, Van Leeuwen earned a bachelor's degree in management and business from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY.

"The Greenwich High School graduation ceremony is an epic celebration for not only families of our graduates and our amazing staff, but those alumni that paved the way," GHS Principal Ralph Mayo said. "Ben Van Leeuwen’s success story is rooted in his time as a Cardinal and all of us here on Hillside Road are tremendous admirers of everything he has accomplished."