Students at PHS were shocked when a familiar voice came from the intercom last week–Lathan Gill, who was named the “Voice of PWAY”, returned to the high school after graduating last June. Lathan Gill earned his nickname after becoming a school celebrity, using his voice to spread positivity and community throughout the school. To know more about Gill’s previous success at PHS, you can read a previous Chieftain article here.
After Lathan was asked by a member of the Black Student Union to return to do one of his “iconic” announcements for their Culture Night, Gill couldn’t say no. “The Black Student Union were the people who first put me onto announcements in my junior year of high school in February 2023” said Gill. “I owe the BSU everything”. He was “excited to surprise everybody”, as he kept his return a secret from everyone except two of his friends and the principal, Mr. Baldassano.
Many students claim that after graduating, they would never step foot in PHS again. Lathan disagrees with that stance. He had returned for both Drama Club productions of Clue and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory prior to his announcement, and believes that his time at PHS had an emotional impact on him. “Walking back into the school and walking the halls for the first time since June 2024, I was overcome with emotions”, admitted Gill.
Since beginning college, Lathan has been keeping himself busy! Lathan was a member of the PHS Drama Club, and initially wanted to major in Musical Theatre when he began at Rider University in the fall. However, he changed his major to Music Production after realizing that he wanted to focus on writing and producing his own songs as his artist persona, Laytin. He has an upcoming concert on April 18th with his Pop, Rock, and Hip-Hop ensemble where he is singing lead on 3 songs, has his own radio show on Rider University’s 107.7 The Bronc, and just put out a new album “Reinvention” on January 31st. “My goals haven’t changed– I am still going to be the greatest performer of all time (behind Michael Jackson)” states Gill. He is content with his life at Rider University, as he is “still doing what loves– “making people happy!”
Lathan’s advice to upcoming graduates was simple– “don’t compare yourself to others [and] DO EVERYTHING EARLY!” He explains that “time is of the utmost importance in college”, and that it is beneficial to get work done early to succeed. He also noted that college was severely different from PHS. “No shade to PHS, but it seemed like whenever you did something, everybody and their mother would care and give their opinion,” Gill explained. “But in college, the funny thing is, nobody cares what you do. Everybody is there to mind their business and go to school, and I had to really get used to that [lifestyle]”. Gill also realized that by leaving PHS and entering college, he had to “find a newfound confidence” in himself. “In PWAY, most people knew who I was,” said Gill. “But in college, nobody knew who I was or what I’ve done, so I had to prove myself all over again.”
“College has given me a newfound freedom,” revealed Lathan “…but I will never forget my Pway roots!”
