Calliope Club Head, Chinese Club Head, LinkAge Club Head, Mock Trial Club Head, Triple A Club Head, Watson Proctor

Hotchkiss was often a difficult place that consumed my time, recreational passions, and even my sense of purpose. But I also got to meet some of my best friends, whom I will certainly keep in touch with far into the future and knowledgeable adults who will be my lifelong mentors. I got to experience some successes and many failures, test and learn my limits, practice leading by example, and mature into the version of myself that many of you perhaps see as an older sister. 

Looking back, some of my core memories are extremely ordinary things: visiting Ben’s room and seeing the posters, plants, and hand-written notes on his walls, early morning rowing on the foggy lake, enlightening discussion post assignments for English 490, discovering Philosophy, late night walks, Hughlyn’s spinny chair, rehearsing for SMS, writing in the Terrapin cabin journal… ordinary events, but ones that broke me away from ticking clocks and strict expectations, that allowed me to explore who I am, what I love, and who I want to be. 

So don’t let the big environment take over your life and define you; instead, pay attention to yourself, to the little things. To the people around you and learn from them their values. To your family, who misses you. To foreign cultures and celebrate them. To new academic subjects and challenge yourself with new knowledge. To nature, the fresh air, the starry sky at night. 

Enjoy your time here while you can, and hopefully, you will emerge from this place with healing scars, growing bones, clearer vision, a puzzled yet curious brain, and a loving heart.