Honorable Graduate Leader: Kira Mermelstein, Salutatorian

Message to graduates: Kira will be reflecting on the different communities she’s found at AJA and taking that forward.

Highest Achievements: Kira has been in theater since sixth grade, starting with tech in ninth grade. She has been in three shows in high school and wrote and directed her own play this year for the Girls’ Chagiga.

She was also involved in volleyball for two years and was a photographer for the Palette newspaper and yearbook.

Kira received the fine arts award in 10th and 12th grade; a Hebrew department award this year; a Yeshiva University Torah-Umadda Book Award last year for secular and Judaic studies; a Harvard Book Award for the most outstanding 11th grade humanities student at AJA; and recognition all four years for attending additional, voluntary Judaic learning sessions.

Future plans: Thrive (freshman experience) at the University of Georgia in July, UGA in the fall, majoring in journalism and media communications.