Legacy of 'Leven: The Seniors Say Goodbye
by Mythili Mandadi '11
As I stand in a line on stage, waiting to be announced to the room like a debutante to the Queen, the past four years flash across my eyes. I can barely believe that I am about to graduate. I still see wisps of the little dweebs we were ghosting around the intelligent, not entirely mature adults we have become like the spirits of Freshmen Gone…
We came in with the budget crisis and unfortunately never knew a class that wasn’t a stack about to overflow. From exploding chemistry experiments to a Wallops trip full of casualties, we made the magnet our own. We bid goodbye to those who left us and welcomed those who heartily joined our ranks, both student and professional. We set into motion the magnet’s brainchild, Puzzlepalooza. We had two Siemens finalists and five semifinalists, and seven Intel semifinalists. The dorkiest of us felt the stirrings of first love and the pangs of heartbreak. One of us finally let her hair down.Now, we are all going our separate ways, each to topnotch educational institutions. It is our turn to say not goodbye, but au revoir and hasta la vista. We will be back with a bang. While you wait for our renaissance, here is our legacy:
To the freshmen, you might be terrified now of the sheer enormity of the next four years, the trebuchets, the rovers, the integrals, the mud, the write-ups (Oh, how many trees to mourn); do not give up – the caffeine, sweat, and tears– will be worth it all.To the sophomore, treasure Wallops because it all goes downhill from there.
To the juniors, you WILL get into college. A majority of our class received some form of financial aid whether due to need or merit – athletic, intellectual, musical and too many other reasons to be enumerated entirely. Every college the magnet class of 2011 applied to accepted at least one applicant. Everyone (Yes, I mean everyone) was accepted into an educational institution. Everyone had the privilege of making a choice between Ivy-Walled College™ and Asian Parents’ Dream School™.
Some of us are travelling across the country, the world even, while others are camping out in Blair’s backyard essentially for the next four years; but regardless of where we are headed, we are destined for greatness.
And just for the record…dibs on our ten-year reunion.
Signing off,
Mythili Mandadi