Morgan Park Academy Class Of 2023 Goes Out In Style

CHICAGO — Morgan Park Academy’s Class of 2023 went out in style at the school’s 150th Commencement on June 10. Highlights of the ceremony included an emotional valedictory address by graduating senior Michaela Olimene, and an inspiring commencement address by her uncle, longtime Walt Disney Company executive Kareem Daniel.

One of the Southland’s top-ranked private schools closed its sesquicentennial school year with a graduation celebration. The accomplished class of 37 seniors earned $11.6 million in scholarship offers and admission acceptances from many of the nation’s top universities and liberal arts schools.

MPA students gained admission this year at schools including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Cornell University, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Notre Dame, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Michigan, University of California at Berkeley, University of California at Los Angeles, Emory University, Howard University, University of Southern California, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Wellesley College, Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Tufts University.

Morgan Park Academy Class of 2023

“Morgan Park Academy students are able to find a great school that’s the right fit, because our small class sizes allow us to give students individualized attention through a four-year college counseling program,” Head of School Mercedes Z. Sheppard said in a news release. “We couldn’t be prouder to see these institutions recognize the character, accomplishments, and future potential of MPA graduates.”

Olimene, an Olympia Fields resident who will attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), touched on the theme of family in her valedictory address.

“I simply love it here,” she said. “I love all of the teachers who have dedicated their time to us. I love the administration, who go out of their way to make sure that the students have a beautiful campus, the best technology, and make sure that the day-to-day happenings move just right. I love the coaches who, despite our shortcomings, still push us on and take the time to teach us the game.

“But most of all, I love my classmates. We push one another to be the best that we can be. We cheer each other on when someone does well in class, on the court, or on the field. … That’s what has made us a family.”

Daniel, a 1992 graduate of the academy, advised graduates to “slow down” and appreciate the small moments in life as they pursue their goals.

“Whatever they may be, approach your goals with determination, while recognizing that life is in the margins,” Daniel told the graduates. “Such awareness may actually cause you to change your goals, instead of blindly speeding towards them. … It is OK to change a plan; it is just not OK to not have one.”

Over a tenure of nearly 20 years at The Walt Disney Company, Daniel held global leadership roles across every line of business – from film, television, and streaming to theme parks, consumer products, and video games – at one of the world’s largest media companies.

“Mr. Daniel sets a tremendous example for our graduates,” Sheppard said. “We were so pleased to have him return to campus this weekend to address the Class of 2023 and the MPA community.”
The senior class had many exciting options as they made their college decisions.

They earned an average of more than $300,000 in scholarship offers, including four-year full rides at the University of Michigan, University of Dayton, and Central Michigan University, a scholarship to play volleyball at William Penn University, and additional merit awards from the George Washington University, Loyola University Chicago, DePaul University, Brandeis University, Ithaca College, St. John’s College, Saint Mary’s College, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the University of Illinois at Chicago.

MPA seniors plan to pursue careers as entrepreneurs, engineers, doctors, lawyers, artists, and much more, with intended majors including biochemistry, economics, engineering, business, architecture, computer science, chemistry, neuroscience, finance, political science and criminal justice, health management, engineering, communications and media, sports management, advertising, art and design, molecular and cellular biology, film and theater, Spanish, atmospheric sciences and meteorology, philosophy, journalism, and psychology.

“I am so proud of the Class of 2023,” college counselor Em Joseph said. “Over the course of four years, these students have risen to the occasion and surmounted every challenge put in front of them.”

In the past 15 years, MPA students have been accepted by 39 of the nation's top 40 colleges and universities, as ranked by US News & World Report, despite a trend that has seen acceptance rates dip into the single digits at the most selective schools.

This group includes Princeton University, Stanford University, Yale University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, California Institute of Technology, Duke University, Dartmouth College, Brown University, Vanderbilt University, Rice University, Columbia University, Georgetown University, New York University, University of Virginia, University of Florida, Wake Forest University, University of California at Santa Barbara, Boston College, University of Rochester, and University of Texas, in addition to the schools listed above.
Students in that time also have been admitted to the United States Air Force Academy, United States Military Academy, and nearly all of US News’ top liberal arts schools and historically Black colleges and universities.

Serving students from prekindergarten through grade 12, Morgan Park Academy is an independent college preparatory school founded in 1873 that annually ranks among the top private schools in the state and first among all schools in Chicago’s Southland area.