Greenhills News
2009 Greenhills Cum Laude Initiates Recognized
April 27, 2009
Ann Arbor — 
Last week, the Greenhills initiates to the Cum Laude Society (CLS) were announced during a school assembly.
Those inducted into the CLS from the Class of 2009 last April, as juniors, were Vera Axelrod, Brian Desmond, Alan Elbaum, Costa Mavroleon, Sara Nelson, Alex Persky-Stern, Julia Piper, Alison Su and Daniel Weinberg.
Recognized as seniors this year were Ian Anderson, Elizabeth Andraska, Rose Bamfo, Hyunsoo Chung, Frank Quinn, Julius Stein-Supanich, Kanchan Swaroop, Hannah Teitelbaum, Sam Upton, Jaclyn Walker and Hannah Yung.
Class of 2010 initiates include Zaineb Alattar, Miranda Dershimer, Mary Guan, Molly Haig, Jennifer Herstein, Nora Kassner, Christine Vanek and Cynthia Wang.
Dan Korobkin ’98, who as a law student was a Senior Editor of the Yale Law Journal and Executive Editor of the Yale Law and Policy Review, addressed the assembly regarding his experience as a legal fellow with the ACLU of Michigan, a job about which he said, “I love.”
Specifically, he discussed why serving others by defending their constitutional rights makes his job enjoyable, even in moments when he asks himself, "Why do I put myself through this?"
“It's the answer to that question that's important,” he observed.
In congratulating the Cum Laude initiates, Dan said, “You deserve to be proud of the hard work that has earned you this honor. I encourage you to continue your hard work and also to dedicate yourselves to serving your community.
“Ten years from now, if someone asks you to give the Cum Laude address at Greenhills, will you be able to begin your speech by proclaiming, "I love my job"? Believe me, if you are committed to representing the interests of people in your community who are poor or disadvantaged, and if you always stand up for principles of justice, fairness and equality, you will not be disappointed.”
CLS honors secondary school academic excellence in the same manner that Phi Beta Kappa does at the collegiate level. Founded in 1906 by Dr. Abram Harris, director of the Tome School in Maryland, CLS grants charters only to schools that exemplify a strong commitment and ability to help young people achieve that degree of scholarship. Their mission is to promote excellence (Areté), justice (Diké) and honor (Timé), and it’s hoped that those students initiated will represent these ideals.
Greenhills became a chartered member of the Cum Laude Society in 1981. In the 29 years since, 340 students have been initiated from the school.
