Cum Laude Adds 19 Members

FWCD’s chapter of the Cum Laude Society welcomed 10 seniors, eight juniors and one new faculty inductee on Wednesday, March 22. New senior Cum Laude members are Mehreen Ali, Sydney Airheart, Campbell Beebe, Lillian Buchanan, Eliana Garcia, Caroline Klein, Lauren Mitchell, Luke Rollins, Holt Smith and Jessica Tomasic. New junior members are Rhea Alexander, Jack Cimo, Evan Dickerson, Walker Gaines, Lily Hyde, Abigail Proell, Evi Scaling Brown and Elle Snyder. Nicole Masole, Director of Community Engagement and Inclusion, is the new faculty inductee. 

The 19 new members joined seniors Christopher Baker, Robert Batton, Emma Hermesmeyer, Matthew Lobo, Seth Mayhue, Kennedy Packer, Caroline Readinger, Alexis Rollings and Thomas Weaver, who were Cum Laude inductees in 2022 as juniors. 

New members were presented with certificates and pins in front of their Upper School peers and families during a program in the Sid W. Richardson Gymnasium. This year’s featured speaker was Leslie Ekpe, a doctoral candidate in Higher Education Leadership from Lewisville and the first black President of TCU’s Graduate Student Senate. She teaches in TCU’s Honors College and is a TCU American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education Holmes Scholar. Ekpe’s dissertation presentation recently earned first place. Before arriving at TCU, Ekpe earned three degrees: a B.S. in Management from Alabama A&M University, where she also played Division 1 volleyball, an M.A. in Communication Management from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and an M.B.A. from Sam Houston State University. 

Ekpe spoke about knowing who you have been called to be and what you have been called to do. She shared her own story and her love of learning that led to her earning so many degrees and pursuing a doctorate. 

A self-proclaimed Type A personality, Ekpe had a panic attack when she earned her first “C” in high school. She went on to graduate with a 4.0 in college and her master’s programs. “I took the GMAT three times and the GRE five times,” Ekpe shared. “I wasn’t getting the scores I needed for admission into a doctoral program. I believed the scores were a representation of myself.”

It wasn’t until she interviewed for the master’s program at TCU and was asked why she was applying to the master’s program that things changed for her. “I said I wanted to teach at the college level, but I didn’t have the scores,” Ekpe said. “... I had received multiple denials, despite my other accomplishments … I literally cried in the interview.”

TCU did not accept her application to the master’s program. This time, Ekpe was seen for what she did have and what she could offer. Her application was sent to the doctoral program, and she was ultimately admitted. She will graduate in May. 

“Who are you without your scores?” Ekpe asked. “Grades don’t define you. You have to dig deep, live authentically and know you have been chosen to change the world.” 

Quoting Joseph Campbell, Ekpe parted with these words: “Follow your bliss. Do what fulfills you and connects you to others. Use your gifts wisely to make the world a better place.”

Catherine Collins-Vecino, Upper School English Teacher, wrapped up the program with many thank yous to students, parents and faculty.

“I am not sure this is true, but I like it. Ancient Egyptians believed that upon death, they would be asked two questions, and their answers would determine whether they could continue their journey in the afterlife,” she shared. “The first question was, ‘Did you bring joy?’ The second was, ‘Did you find joy?’”

She called attention to the order of questions. “Let joy guide you and inspire you,” she said. 

About The Cum Laude Society

The Cum Laude Society is an honorary organization that stresses excellence, justice and honor. Selection is limited to 10 percent of the junior class and 20 percent of the senior class, elected over two years, based on students’ high academic standing and rigorous course loads. Selected students also demonstrate good character, honor and integrity in all aspects of school life.

Founded in 1906, Cum Laude Society is dedicated to honoring scholastic achievement in secondary schools. The founders of the society modeled Cum Laude after Phi Beta Kappa. In the years since its founding, Cum Laude has grown to 382 chapters, approximately two dozen of which are located in public schools and the rest in independent schools. Membership is predominately in the U.S., but chapters are also located in Canada, England, France, Spain, Puerto Rico and the Philippines.