[CharterSchools] Benjamin Franklin High School Graduates 244 Members of the Class of 2025

Thu May 29 16:13:59 EDT 2025

  Benjamin Franklin High School Graduates 244 Members of the Class of 2025 

NEW ORLEANS (May 29, 2025) – Benjamin Franklin High School held its annual graduation ceremony for the Class of 2025 on Tuesday, May 20, at 4 p.m. at UNO Lakefront Arena, officially marking the transition from student to alumnus for 244 students. 

“Graduation is a significant milestone that celebrates the mastery of our rigorous curriculum, along with the personal growth and community engagement that we expect from students at Benjamin Franklin High School,” said Principal Dr. Kendall McManus-Thomas. “I am so proud of the leadership, character, and goals of the Class of 2025. They are not only ready for the world — they are ready to change it.”

The valedictorian is Xindi Liu, the daughter of Xiaowen Liu and Yan Liu. A National Merit Finalist and United States Presidential Scholar Candidate, Liu is also an AP Scholar with Distinction and recipient of a Ben Franklin Student Leadership and Service Award, as well as the Tulane Book Award. Passionate about math and science, Liu was a U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad Qualifier and an American Invitational Mathematics Exam Qualifier and earned the AMC’s Young Women in Mathematics Certificate. A dedicated scholar and leader, Liu spent summers at Stanford University Mathematics Camp, the UCSC Science Internship Program, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Management & Technology Summer Institute. In addition to being a semifinalist in the Trust Your Crazy Ideas Challenge, Liu has held leadership roles in numerous school clubs, including serving as president of Mu Alpha Theta math honor society and vice president of both the Science Olympiad Club Build Team and the Code for Change Club. She is also involved in the Student Council, Youth and Government, and the National Honor Society. Outside of school, she serves on the Mission Ignition Student Board and the Student Advisory Council. Next year, Liu will attend the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering, where she plans to major in computer science and mathematics.

The salutatorian is Nathin Hinkle, the son of Lekha Hota and David Hinkle, both of whom are medical doctors. A talented athlete, Hinkle served as varsity tennis team captain for two years, earning three regional doubles titles and reaching the state doubles semifinals twice. Academically, he is the recipient of the Dartmouth Book Award and several best in course awards in AP World History, AP Computer Science A, and AP Statistics. Hinkle co-founded and serves as co-president of the school’s Chemistry Club and plays a leadership role in the Physics in Motion program. He also spent a summer at the Advanced Materials Research Institute, conducting research on the synthesis and oxidation of complex hydrocarbons, with results slated for publication. Committed to community service, Hinkle volunteered regularly at the Common Ground Relief free food pantry in the Lower Ninth Ward. In the fall, he will attend the University of California, Los Angeles, where he plans to major in chemistry.

The recipient of the 2024 Key Award is Joseph Luu, the son of Van Tran and Binh Luu. An academic high-achiever, Luu earned the Best in Course Award for English III Honors and the Jose Luis Baños Award for Spanish Excellence from Sociedad Española of New Orleans. A fierce community advocate, he has worked closely with the “Journey of Resilience” 50th Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon Committee and Sông CDC’s “Resilient Youth Rising” program, earning the Outstanding Parish Youth Award from the Archdiocese of New Orleans. At Franklin, Luu has taken on numerous leadership roles, serving as president of the Asian Pacific Culture Club, treasurer of Key Club, media manager of the BFHS Philharmonic Orchestra, and secretary of the Badminton and Recreational Club. A talented musician, Luu plays violin in the Philharmonic Orchestra and serves as pianist for several local church choirs. Through his work in and out of school, Luu continues to advocate for equity, cultural awareness, and community engagement. Next year, he will attend Loyola University New Orleans, where he plans to major in sociology.

A full list of our graduates is below:

Summa Cum Laude (4.0 and above): Camerin Aguillard, Rebecca Albano, Haitham Aldahir, Zaza Anaza, Jude Armstrong, Coleman Arnold, Mikayla Aubin, Kilyn Bailey, Min Jee Bess-Bader, Madyson Brown, Jonathan Bush, Jonaé Butler, Elizabeth Byrd, Ruth Carrillo, Carson Colombo, Brandon Coughlin, Aubrey Cowan, Veenyx Davis, Kohei Do, Nancy Do, Kaya Dorotan, Amelia Duffy, Zelda Duitch, Tatum Duncan, Marie-Irène Duplantier, Audrey Ellis, Liza Feinstein, Charles Finger, Yin Fu, Saanvi Gambhira, Abigail Gannon, Isabel Garza Walker, Iona Gibb, Sophie Guillet-Robertson, Mateo Hammer, Keely Harrigan, Ethan Headrick, Evan Headrick, Cecilia Herzog, Iyanla Hicks, Tu-Uyen Hoang, Joshua Hook, Wanda Hu, Sophia Hutchison, Maddie Isla, Bethany Jacobs, Isabella Jacobs, BiYi Lau, Olivia Lusignan, Lilly Mayes, Landon Mendez, Sophie Michalewicz, Soley Montès, Dysen Morrell, Violet Moseley, Emma Myers, Angela Nguyen, Anthony Nguyen, Bryan Nguyen, Hailey Nguyen, Isabella Nguyen, Namphuong Nguyen, Nathan Nguyen, Sang Nguyen, Vy Nguyen, Liam Oliver-Goodwin, Dylan O'Neal, Audrey Orzech, Johan Pacheco-Avilez, Kaitlyn Parker, Niki Patel, Ava Pham, Unique Price, Sophie Ramirez, MaNe't Richards, Annika Roberson, Sofia Roberts, Ronald Ruiz III, Sean Rule, Eden Rung, Cecilia Ryan, Lael Saacks, Eli Sanders, Emilio Sequeira Zavala, Elio Sharp, Jonathan Shi, Natyri Showers, Akshita Sridhar, Rivkeh Strauss, Reva Sus, Gardner Teall, Piper Thompson, Noah Tierney, Sydney Ton, Brandon Tran, Francis Tran, Michelle Tran, Nhi Trinh, Gabriella Villemarette, Richard Waddington, Julien Weiner, Ozzie Welch, Thomas Wilson, Elizabeth Yaggy, Owen Yakich, Ana Zervigon, Anzhi Zhao, and Lillianne Ziegler

Magna Cum Laude (3.5 – 3.9): Amiyah Adams, Rida Adel, Mason Avery, Ronald Berton III, Laila Blondell, Edan Bonen, Ella Brondum, Asia Brown, Devin Butler, Jamari Butler, Gabriel Castillo, Mia Chase, Jad Chehab, Daniel Cho, Jake Clague, Anisa Cleggett, Adeline Coughlin, Rowan Crawford, Phillip Dicks, Austin Do, Lucious Dunham, Raymond Duplessis, Evan Ellender, Madison Elzey, Solomon Fredrickson, Nandi Gayles, Mera Gisevius, Madison Gray, Logan Grayman, Amelia Grai Griffin, Betty Hebert, Sarah Hellwig, Acasia Henry, Amy Hoang, Conny Horton III, William Iuso, Autumn Jase, Noah Kehlenbach, Mia King, Adam Kirschman, Max Klein, Napat Liengsawangwong, Jenney Liu, Rhoss Lucas, Joseph Luu, Samaya Mannings, Ava Martin, Serena Mbeky, Amari McAninch, Owen McLellan, Alex Michalewicz, Sophia Napoli, Casey Ngo, Ethan Nguyen, Ethan Nguyen, Jacob Nguyen, Mong-Diep Nguyen, Quang Nguyen, Quang Nguyen, Kamryn Nutzel, Nathan Patron, Bailei Pearson, Allen Powell III, Ally Ratleff, Fiona Reade, Serena Revels, Micah Rivero, Eleanora Rodli, Natalie Rome, Elijah Rouzan, Ava Rovira, Harry Schreiner, Veronica Seal, Sienna Sloss, Corinne Staes, Imre Szalai, Joshua Tran, Joshua Treadway, Treasure Warren, Jack Welch, Imri Williams, James Wilson, Lucas Wittfeld, and Anna Zink

 All other 2025 graduates: Helen Alvarez, Matthew Bancroft, Noah Bercy, Cayla Bolden, Barry Brady III, Camden Clark, Natalie Cordova, Lora D'Arensbourg, Pacôme Dumoulins, Samir Faruki, Piero Garcia, Mi'Netra Gobernado, Max Gonzalez, Gabriella Guzman, Violet Harris, Micah Henderson, Preston Henry, Mylah Hicks, Alexander Hill, Ryan Ho, Nicholas Hogh, Cindy Huynh, Legend Joseph, Caleb Kaiser, Katia Kondkar, Nicollette Laborde, Rain, Xavier Limar, Lailah Mace, Denise Miller, Milos Mora, Cecilia Naccari, Sarah Nguyen, Lucian Peck, Amelia Quinn, Alayiah Ray, Gabrielle Remy, Sadie Schwarzenbach, Sidney Seither, Edrye Smith, Darius Torres-Copeland, Katherine Tran, Nicola Tufaro, Morgan Turner, Madisyn Washington, Wyatt Welch, Demi White, Michaurey Williams, Ryan Williams Jr., and Ian Winningkoff

For more information, please contact Eve Peyton at (504) 503-0062 or  epeyton at bfhsla.org. 

Valedictorian Xindi Liu

Salutatorian Nathin Hinkle

Recipient of the 2024 Key Award, Joseph Luu

About Benjamin Franklin High School 

Benjamin Franklin High School, New Orleans’ most outstanding public charter school, has been preparing students for success through academic  achievement since its founding in 1957. Consistently ranked as a “top public high school in the nation” by U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, and Business  Week, Ben Franklin is repeatedly named a National Blue Ribbon School, most recently in 2021, and produces Presidential and National Merit Scholars each year. The exceptional students,  faculty, and staff at Ben Franklin are the best and the brightest in New Orleans. For more information, please visit bfhsla.org.

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