Montverde Academy is pleased to announce that Christopher Ebunede Egi, Valedictorian of the Class of 2018 at Harvard University, investment banker at Goldman Sachs, cofounder of No More Names: Criminal Justice Reform, will be the keynote speaker at the Academy’s 2024 Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 18, 2024, at 9:45 a.m. at the Mills Championship Court at the EdgeCenter for Sportsmanship and Wellness (The Nest).
Mr. Egi is a scholar, athlete, entrepreneur, and community builder. From Markham, Ontario, and the child of two Nigerian small business owners, one of which was a home for people with Alzheimer’s, he has always had an appreciation for how innovative ideas could help shape lives. However, standing 6’8″, his first love was basketball, which has taken him all over the world. Once the number-one ranked player in Canada high school basketball and the captain of the Canadian Junior Men’s National Team as they competed in the Junior World Championships, Mr. Egi came to Montverde Academy in 2013 where he won a national high school basketball championship alongside future NBA stars Ben Simmons and D’Angelo Russell.
After graduation, Mr. Egi went to Harvard University and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in economics and a secondary program in African and African American Studies. While at Harvard, his pursuits outside the classroom included winning two Ivy League championships, serving as the basketball team’s captain, and founding No More Names, an organization that helps college students and young adults find ways to get involved in work involving criminal justice reform. After graduating from college, he became a Wall Street investor in emerging consumer, healthcare, and technology companies, in addition to helping spur efforts to improve how Goldman thought about diversity in their investing initiatives. Mr. Egi eventually left Goldman as a recipient of the South Park Commons Founder Fellowship, a program that invests in individuals to take time for work and start a company. Alongside friends from Goldman, he started Waiv Campus, a platform designed to help college students save and learn about money and build credit. He has since returned to Harvard and is currently completing his JD/MBA and is working on innovative solutions to tackling issues at the intersection of economic and racial justice.
Mindy Hopman will be the keynote speaker at Montverde Academy’s Baccalaureate held the previous evening on Friday, May 17, 2024, at 7 p.m. at The Mills Championship Court at the EdgeCenter for Sportsmanship and Wellness. Mrs. Hopman serves as the Regional Director of Ministry Advancement for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) in Florida, Latin America South, and the Caribbean Islands. She is a Bible teacher, author, curriculum specialist, and speaker and holds a master’s degree in religion with an emphasis in leadership and a master’s degree in education with an emphasis in curriculum and instruction. Mrs. Hopman is the visionary and director of FCA’s [THE] Huddle: For Women, which is a curriculum experience designed especially for female athletes, coaches, and coaches’ spouses. Mr. and Mrs. Hopman arrived at Montverde Academy in 2001, and throughout her time at MVA, she taught classes such as world religions, Biblical studies, Ethics for the 21st Century, English, ESL, and even second grade. While teaching at MVA, Mrs. Hopman was named Teacher of the Year and was recognized as a Master Teacher. Mr. and Mrs. Hopman have raised two of their own student-athletes, both of whom attended MVA, and have helped to raise countless other students in the private boarding school environments where they have lived. Mrs. Hopman loves running, reading, paddle boarding, and being on the water with her family in her free time.
Please note: The Academy’s Commencement Ceremony and Baccalaureate are closed to the public.