Claire Jiang ’24 and Gordon Gruber ’24 Named Aurelian Speakers

Staff Report in News | April 5, 2024

The Lawrenceville Class of 2024 has chosen Claire Jiang ’24 and Gordon Gruber ’24 to be its Aurelian Speakers. Annually, the V Form elects the Aurelian Speaker, students who best demonstrate “sterling character, high scholarship, and forceful leadership” as well as being held in high regard by their fellow Lawrentians.

In approaching her time at Lawrenceville, Jiang’s “guiding principle is finding great pockets of community and people to be around. When you are working towards a greater goal with other people, the process itself just becomes so rewarding.” Throughout her time at Lawrenceville, Jiang has held a number of roles on campus, notably as Editor-in-Chief on the 143rd Board of The Lawrence and the 129th Board of The Lit, a Merrill Scholar, the eponymous lead in the 2023 fall musical Amélie, and a Prefect in the McClellan House.

When reflecting on her time at Lawrenceville, Jiang said, “community is the big word. It’s overused, but still so true…I am so grateful for how Lawrenceville reminds us how we can center powerful chances and discussions around community.”

Gruber, a four-year member of the Boys’ Varsity Crew Team and a member of the Cleve House, said that his main goal over his time at Lawrenceville has been “to be a leader wherever [he goes].”

Reflecting upon leaving the School, he said, “I am going to miss the House system. My days in Cleve are something I’ll never forget,” noting fond memories of “going downstairs and hanging out with friends in the library, starting a Cleve poker league, and playing pool with [his] housemates.” Gruber looked to “carry the House’s traditions, making sure people show up to feed and have a good time. I just always try to be around the community.”

Gruber hopes that his speech will be a “nice wrap up in allowing the Class of 2024 to come full circle.” Looking back on the Class of 2024, Gruber said, “in September 2020, we came to this campus and had to decide who we wanted to be for the next four years. Now on May 27, 2024, we will all leave this campus and have to decide who we will be for the rest of our lives.”

In his speech, Gruber hopes to reflect on how the grade “started during the pandemic with a group of 60 people and then throughout the time, the small grade has arisen…It’s a very tight community but still a very big place.” He hopes to reflect on “the changing group of the grade and how we came in here no one knew each other…it will be a nice wrap up. I think it will be a heartfelt moment.

Jiang maintained Gruber’s sentiment, expressing that although she may not be able to speak for everyone’s personal Lawrenceville experiences, she hopes to “vocalize the importance of being together before [the Class] leaves the school fully. Whether someone has spent one, two, three, or all four years at Lawrenceville, every single person is going to feel sentimental, hopeful, and some nostalgia.” She concluded, “We won’t be together in the same space in the way that we have; it’s bittersweet because we need to change and grow, but that can also be a good thing.”

Gruber and Jiang will deliver their speech to the Class of 2024 on May 27, the evening before Commencement.

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Claire Jiang ’24 and Gordon Gruber ’24 Named Aurelian Speakers