After hearing the biographies of valedictorian JOHN PARDON ’11 and Latin salutatorian VERONICA SHI ’11 at the April 25 faculty meeting, President Tilghman joked that she was “feeling deeply inadequate.”
The two honorees have pursued deep knowledge in academic specialties while balancing an impressive mix of extracurricular activities. Pardon, a mathematics major from Chapel Hill, N.C., has made notable contributions to knot theory, including one research paper that has been accepted for publication in the journal Annals of Mathematics. He also is the principal cellist in the Princeton University Sinfonia, one of three competitors on the University’s award-winning Chinese-language debate team, an Outdoor Action leader, and a member of the juggling club. He will begin Ph.D. studies in math at Stanford University in the fall.