Many years ago, we were just little children playing at Russell Pedersen Playground, discovering for the first time the freedom of lifting up our feet off the ground after successfully swinging on our own.
Now, years later, we face the future ahead of us, overlooking our new colleges, new areas of study, new relationships—anxiously, yet excitedly waiting for that familiar sense of freedom we once sought at the playground. Only now, the stakes have become so much higher.
Yet, as we depart on our own separate paths, we can’t help but grieve all that we’re leaving behind. We’ll miss the late nights spent in Fort’s empty halls while meeting for a club, practicing and performing for a show. We’ll miss the feeling of euphoria while running across the field. We’ll miss the lightbulb moments we’ve had in our classrooms and we’ll definitely miss the hours of homework we were assigned each day.
But most importantly, we’ll miss the people.
We’ll miss our teachers who have taught us not only the difference between symbols and motifs, how to calculate derivatives, or how to titrate a strong acid, but also how to go about our lives beyond the classroom. Their lessons will stick with us forever as they have become a part of the fabric that makes us who we are.
We’ll miss our friends who we sat next to in class, met up with in the hallway, and hung out with after school. We’ll miss the texting episodes where we support each other through late night study sessions and the conversations and laughter we shared while doing something we love together. Yet, the bonds we have created will shape our relationships forever. Whether we keep in touch or not, no one will ever forget who they spent the most defining four years of their life with.
As we close a chapter of our lives, return to the time when you were that nervous freshmen who walked through the doors of Fort Hamilton for the first time. As we walk the stage during graduation, remember how far you’ve come to get to that point. And remember there is a lot more evolution to come from our exciting new lives.
Russell Pedersen Playground, the same one from our childhood, reopened just weeks before our graduation. It isn’t the same park we once knew. But it is a witness to a new generation – a new generation for whom we have the duty to build a better world.
Throughout all your endeavors, remember that beloved playground that faces our vibrant school. Relish that same feeling of freedom after prevailing through hardship and make space for others next to you. Remember your roots wherever the world takes you.
Congratulations to the Class of 2025!
