Flag Day and U.N. Ambassador Ferit Hoxha

Every year, Hopkins celebrates Flag Day, an opportunity to showcase our school’s ethnic diversity. It gives us a chance to remind ourselves how important our heritage is to us and how valuable it is to share our cultures with one another. After a student speaker shares his or her heritage, new students and new faculty who were born – or whose parents were born – in a country outside the United States process with and stand next to the flag that represents their family background. This year, graduating senior Tongil Ko shared his story: he is of Korean and French descent, was born in US, but grew up in Brazil, and is a naturalized citizen of three countries: the United States, France and Korea.

Following Tongil's address, Chris Cahill '14 announced the 33 countries and regions currently represented in the Hopkins community, as students and faculty processed onto the floor carrying the flags of their country.

As an added feature to this year's Flag Day we welcomed a guest speaker, U.N. Ambassador to Albania, Ferit Hoxha. Ambassador Hoxha told the Hopkins community about the history of Albania, and the important role Albania played as a safe zone for Jews during World War II and the Holocaust. After his address, students asked questions of Ambassador Hoxha, and following assembly he visited Mr. Cronin's Holocaust class to continue the discussion.

Thank you to parent Peter Furth for bringing Mr. Hoxha to Hopkins today, and to Josh Furth for introducing him at assembly. And a big thank you to Director of Diversity, Lisa McGrath for organizing this year's Flag Day Assembly and to Associate Director of Admission, Martha Venter, who began this tradition and who helped run today's event.

Watch video of both the Flag Day Celebration and Ambassador Hoxha's address in the attached videos.