The young men in the 62nd graduating class of Christian Brothers Academy have officially been conferred their diplomas.

The 195 Academy graduates gathered for the 62nd commencement exercises on Thursday, May 23 at Brookdale’s Collins Arena, receiving the CBA diploma that they have been working towards over the past four years.

“This evening marks a major milestone in our students’ lives,” Principal Neil Begley ’96 said to open the commencement exercises. “Four years ago when you began your journey at CBA, you entered to learn. The foundation you have been given is a strong and lasting foundation. I am confident that you are ready to leave to serve.”

The Class of 2024 is commended for outstanding academic, athletic, service and extracurricular achievements throughout a busy four years at the Academy. It was a four-year journey that began under the cloud of the Covid-19 pandemic in the fall of 2020.

“There is a uniqueness to each and every class that comes through CBA, but yours may be one of the most unique classes,” President Ross Fales told the graduates, referencing the Covid-19 pandemic. “Your first year at the Academy was like no other previously experienced. But you persevered, and we are here tonight celebrating your resilience. Life is filled of obstacles, you cannot control that, but you can control how you handle it.”

The commencement exercises were completed with speeches by Valedictorian Brady Prunty (University of Notre Dame) and Salutatorian Jaden Vigneri (Villanova University).

“At the end of the day, what truly matters is not where we go, but what we take with us,” Prunty said to his fellow classmates. “Everything we have learned at CBA over these last four years – academic experiences, work ethic, moral values and service to others – is now ours to keep, and more importantly, ours to put into action as we shape our own paths.”

The Class of 2024 has an impressive resume that bolsters its legacy as these newly-minted alumni depart the Academy.

The 195 graduates received over $25.771 million in merit-based scholarships to colleges and universities across the country.

68 seniors graduated with distinction (seven-semester GPA of 91.5 or higher).

The Class completed 20,291 hours of community service, which is an average of 103 hours per student when only 50 hours are required.

40 seniors were members of CBA’s Saint de La Salle Chapter of the National Honor Society.

16 graduates were Brother Michael Dwyer Scholars.

 11 individuals were National Commended Scholars with 1 student being a national semifinalist.

48 senior student-athletes were scholar athletes (varsity athletes with seven-semester GPA of 91.5 or higher).

3 seniors were named scholar thespians through Pegasus Production Company.

In April, CBA gave out the annual graduation awards to those seniors who have excelled in different subjects at the Academy. You can view the full list of CBA graduation awards here.

This senior class has been accepted to 213 colleges and universities with students attending 98 different schools across the country and internationally. You can check out what school each graduate is attending here. Many of the graduates reported an impressive array of college scholarships that had been offered to them. Those scholarships are listed in the Commencement program here.

A recording of the 2024 Commencement Ceremony can be found below.