Woodlands Academy holds 2025 graduation ceremony
Members of Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart’s Class of 2025 received their diplomas during the all-girls college-preparatory high school’s 166th Commencement Exercises on June 4 in the Lake Forest school’s chapel.
Classmates selected Kjirste Miller to address the assembly on their behalf. She did so by reflecting on their high school journey.
“Remember the education (we received here) from passionate faculty and staff,” she said. “If I had to sum up what we’ve done here in one word, it would be ‘impact,’ because we’ve left one … And I know we’ll keep making an impact because our generation doesn’t get to sit on the sidelines. We are inheriting a world that needs our empathy, our courage, our voices. We have to make our mark in our neighborhoods, on college campuses, in workplaces, in boardrooms, and in communities that haven’t heard us yet. We have to be the women we needed when we were younger, as the world is asking more of us now than ever ... Class of 2025, thank you. For your strength. Your heart. Your humor. Your care. You’ve stunned me with your strength. You’ve humbled me with your kindness. And you’ve taught me what it means to show up with your whole heart.”
The Woodlands Academy senior class chose Christine Zapf, who teaches theology classes, as the ceremony’s faculty speaker.
“I have loved seeing how each of you came to truly embody the (Sacred Heart) Goals in beautiful ways that are as unique as every precious one of you. I can’t wait to see how you will take the goals with you and live them in all the next phases and seasons of your future lives,” she said. “Today, I invite you to listen, reflect and soak in all the feelings of your high school graduation day. Be proud of yourselves, be grateful, celebrate each other. Commit to keeping your connections deep and strong as you continue on your journeys. We are all here to support you as you continue to discover what God is calling you toward and how you will be a sign and an instrument bringing God’s love into the world.”
Woodlands Academy’s Class of 2025 departed graduation en route to various enriching futures. A total of 158 college admission applications submitted by the school’s 34 seniors were accepted at institutions in the U.S. and abroad. The graduates have committed to attending such prestigious institutions of higher learning as William & Mary, Dartmouth, New York University, Villanova University, the University of Chicago, Northwestern University and the University of Notre Dame.
In addition, Woodlands’ seniors have been awarded scholarships totaling more than $2.5 million. Included among them is Dyana Santoyo’s Western Golf Association Evans Scholarship to the University of Illinois Chicago. This prestigious award is a full housing and tuition college grant offered to golf caddies.
Woodlands Academy’s comprehensive College Counseling program is an important reason why Woodlands has a robust college-preparatory culture. Its students get accepted into colleges and universities across the country and the world that offer them the opportunity to grow as scholars and individuals. The program features Woodlands’ unique College Skills class in which the college counselor works with students through the college process during their junior and senior years in a classroom setting. It is a prime example of how Woodlands Academy provides the support students and parents need in the ever-evolving college process.