St. Lawrence’s newest Laurentians should already feel immensely proud of themselves. From their high school achievements in the classroom and community, the members of the Class of 2027 bring passion and curiosity to their next great adventure in the North Country and enter St. Lawrence with the highest-ever cumulative GPA of 93. Forty-three percent graduated at the top of their class. They celebrated their Matriculation on Sunday, August 20, and are now poised to make their mark on St. Lawrence.
“Every day, we live our institutional mission by offering you up opportunities to learn, to develop intellectually, to grow as individuals, and to become the future leaders you want to become,” President Kate Morris said while addressing the Class of 2027. “Our job is to offer you up these opportunities and your job is to take them. As such, I want to encourage you take full advantage of what a St. Lawrence experience offers you.”
Members of the Class of 2027 hail from 381 high schools worldwide. First-year students will journey to the North Country from 31 states and represent a total of 46 countries around the globe. There are 11 out of 18 total United World Colleges represented, with the two largest cohorts coming from UWC Waterford in South Africa and UWC East Africa in Arusha, Tanzania.
Transfer students represent 15 colleges, eight states, and Canada.
This year, St. Lawrence is proud to report its largest cohort of Native American students in institutional history. Seven come from the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne along the banks of the nearby St. Lawrence River, and 12 in total identify as Native American. This is due in large part to the outreach of Brenda Papineau ’02, M ’06, M ’15, a member of the St. Regis Mohawk tribe, in her new role as director of Native American affairs. Moving forward, her programming will involve working with students to forge new connections between campus and the nearby Mohawk community.
About 16 percent of the class are considered first-generation students—students whose parents did not complete a four-year college or university degree. They will find a close-knit community of first-gen students, faculty, and staff on campus and will be eligible to join the Alpha Alpha Alpha honor society—which celebrated its first induction ceremony in the spring. They can also seek support and mentorship through the First-Gen Initiative on campus as they settle into their new home and pave the way for others who share their experiences.
“Every day, we live our institutional mission by offering you up opportunities to learn, to develop intellectually, to grow as individuals, and to become the future leaders you want to become. Our job is to offer you up these opportunities and your job is to take them."—President Kate Morris
A significant cohort of the Class of 2027 is ready to take advantage of the University’s six new majors, with 12 percent indicating an interest in studying biomedical sciences, pre-health chemistry, data science, public health, digital media and film, and finance. They’ll take classes, conduct research, and explore new ways of learning with state-of-the-art technology in the Bloomberg Finance Lab, podcasting and digital media studio, and science facilities recently ranked No. 6 in the nation by The Princeton Review.
This year, 13 percent of the class hail from the North Country, representing the largest contingent of local students in recent memory. They will serve as ambassadors to the region while discovering unexpected new adventures and continuing to make an impact on the place they call home.
Kayla Larrabee, a graduate of Hugh C. Williams High School in Canton, began “Canton Kids Care” at the beginning of the pandemic. Over the last several years, she has collected and distributed personal hygiene products for families in need, raised $2,000 to provide relief for a local family following a fire, and created arts and crafts projects for the residents of the Canton Grasse River Apartments. At St. Lawrence, she will join her sister Brooke, a current junior, and plans to major in English.
Like Kayla, about 75 percent of students took part in community service clubs or activities.
More stats about the Class of 2027:
- 88% held at least one leadership role throughout their high school experience
- 69% worked during high school or summer employment
- 37% were involved in art, music, or theater
- 33% were involved in outdoor programs
- 70% participated in academic honor societies, Olympiads, and research
- 86% percent of the class competed in a high school varsity sport
- 37% were recruited to play for the Saints.
First-year student Rogan Cardinal, a graduate of the Pingree School in Hamilton, Massachusetts, is an incoming member of the men’s lacrosse team. In addition to earning accolades for his performance on the lacrosse field during his senior year, he captained the boys' soccer, basketball, and lacrosse teams, ultimately leading each to the league championships. In June, Rogan attended the 37th Globe Foundation/Richard J. Phelps Scholar-Athlete Award ceremony at Fenway Park, where he was honored alongside 22 other athletes for extraordinary achievement on and off the field.
With Matriculation behind them and Orientation underway, the Class of 2027 will receive a warm welcome from one of the friendliest student bodies in the nation, get to know their mentors among St. Lawrence’s approachable faculty, and take advantage of adventures on campus and off as they learn and explore over the next four years.
