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Photo by Stephanie Motyka Photography (image has been cropped). Members of the Class of 2025 gathered together post-commencement to toss their caps on Xaverian’s varsity field. Scroll to bottom of article to view the full photo.
Thanks to Xaverian Brothers High School for contributing this article to Westwood Minute.
WESTWOOD, MA - Last Saturday, May 17, 2025, Xaverian Brothers High School celebrated the Commencement of its 59th graduating class, the Class of 2025, with 164 members who have enrolled in 95 different colleges and universities.
Diplomas were conferred to the graduates by Head of School Jacob Conca ’94, Ph.D. (Medway) and Principal Michael Nicholson, Ed.D. (Norfolk). The graduates' plans include attending colleges and universities such as Boston College (9), Fairfield (3), Harvard (1), Holy Cross (5), Lehigh (1), Northeastern (6), Providence College (9), Tufts (3), UCLA (1), University of Michigan (1), University of Rochester (1), USC (1), Villanova (1), Wake Forest (3), and WPI (1).
Photo by Stephanie Motyka Photography. Xaverian’s Kosta Travayiakis of Westwood walks up to the stage to receive his Spanish world language award.This graduating class spearheaded new clubs such as BioBuilders and MediX, which focus on specialized areas of study (synthetic biology and medicine respectively), helped lead the school to a second consecutive state football championship, volunteered at more than 70 local service agencies, and boasts seven National Merit commended students.
Mitchell Kisgen is the Class of 2025 valedictorian. The son of Dr. Darren Kisgen and Mrs. Lauren Kisgen of Natick, Mitchell is a National Merit Commended Student and a member of both the Rocco Zoppo and Spanish chapters of the National Honor Society. He was twice named “Student of the Year” and earned Ryken Honors—the school’s highest academic distinction—every quarter of his high school career. Mitchell is the President of the Business Club, a peer minister in the campus ministry program, and an active member of the ping pong club. A standout multi-sport athlete, Mitchell competes in varsity soccer and excels in indoor and outdoor track. He is a five-time New Balance Nationals qualifier, Catholic Conference MVP, and All-Scholastic honoree by The Boston Globe and The Boston Herald. He also holds seven school records. Mitchell will continue his academic and athletic career at Dartmouth College.
Photo by Kathryn Hickey. Pictured here left to right are Head of School Dr. Jacob Conca, valedictorian Mitchell Kisgen of Natick, salutatorian Neilan Fahey of Medway, and Principal Dr. Michael Nicholson.Xaverian’s 2025 salutatorian is Neilan Fahey, son of Mr. Michael Fahey and Mrs. Anh Fahey of Medway. Neilan is a member of the Rocco Zoppo and French chapters of the National Honor Society and a four-year varsity athlete in cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field. A captain of all three teams, he is also a distinguished expert in 3-Position Air Rifle and competes with the Reading Rifle and Revolver junior team. Beyond athletics, Neilan is actively involved in Xaverian’s book club, peer ministry mentoring program, and faith-sharing group, SpiritHawk. He also volunteers at the Medway Village Food Pantry. Neilan will attend the United States Military Academy at West Point in the fall.
The highest honor bestowed upon a graduating senior at Xaverian is the Xaverian Award. This special recognition is determined through nominations by the graduating class, in collaboration with the faculty and staff, and the recipient is kept a secret until the graduation ceremony. To receive the Xaverian Award, a student must have demonstrated the core values of humility, trust, simplicity, compassion, and zeal throughout their time at Xaverian. The Class of 2025 Xaverian Award winner is Aadi Aggarwal, son of Mr. Lokesh Aggarwal and Mrs. Pragti Aggarwal of Medway.
Photo by Stephanie Motyka Photography. Pictured here is Xaverian Award Winner, Aadi Aggarwal of Medway.In his speech, Dr. Conca shared a reflection from one of his colleagues describing Aadi: “He is considerate of others, devoted to strengthening the Xaverian community, and possesses a character of the highest standing. While his resume speaks for itself, it is his character and steadfast commitment to our community that sets him apart.”
Aadi is a member of both the National and Spanish National Honor Societies. He received the Brother Raymond Hoyt, C.F.X. ’70 Award for generosity, and was one of six Xaverian students selected to represent the senior class at the Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools leadership retreat. Additionally, he served as a peer mentor and tutor and worked alongside classmates to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s disease research.
Aadi was an athlete on the varsity swim and dive team, as well as the varsity ultimate disc team. In his sophomore and junior years, he served as Secretary General of Xaverian’s Model UN team, where he earned national recognition and ranked in the top five in the Massachusetts High School Model UN Circuit. He also served as Vice Captain of Xaverian’s Speech and Debate team, placing in the top five in the Commonwealth in Group Discussion. Aadi will continue his academic journey at Tufts University in the fall.
Photo by Stephanie Motyka Photography. Xaverian senior class president, Jordan Wilson of Brockton, crosses the stage after receiving his diploma.In his Commencement address to the Class of 2025, Dr. Conca urged the graduates to aspire to a life of quiet, humble service, expecting nothing in return. He encouraged them to hold themselves to the highest standards, continually striving to grow, learn, and excel, and to embrace their faith journeys with the confidence that God would be with them every step of the way. “Our hope,” he said, “is that you find the tools necessary to live a life rooted in all that is represented by your Xaverian diploma.”
Photo by Stephanie Motyka Photography. Members of the Class of 2025 gathered together post-commencement to toss their caps on Xaverian’s varsity field.
