To the Seniors,

A few months ago, we walked through the halls of MLEC holding up our decorated senior crowns for our last first day as high school students. We faced nothing but the school year ahead of us, looking forward to finally having fairy-tale moments that we grew up watching in movies and TV. The countdown to graduation was closer than ever and within a year, we would all be embarking on our own separate journeys.

As we counted down the days, we battled Senioritis and often wished for it to all be over. And yet, that wish seemed to come true. What we once looked forward to — our grad bash, our prom, our graduation ceremony — was stripped away from us. But that doesn’t mean our high school experience comes anything short of meaningful.

That meaning lies between the memories we shared as a class — from being booed at our first pep rally freshman year to booing the new class of freshmen every year. These memories are not bound by the halls of MLEC, either, stretching from the Chick-Fil-A dining room afterschool to C-Caf for lunch on Wednesdays to the Harvest Fest dancefloor. No one can take these moments from us — not even COVID-19. And although there will be memories we may not have been able to make, they hold nothing in comparison to those we find ourselves looking back upon and cherishing.

Having walked across the stage dressed in caps and gowns or not, we all share one thing: we are Jaguars.

As the countdown nears its end and we approach new beginnings, everything starts to sink in. Our confusion, frustration, and grief intensify as the days pass and normalcy shifts. Although we were unable to make the most out of our senior year and say goodbye to those we cared most, we continue to move forward. We, the Class of 2020, are resilient.

As we make history now, we also make the future. Although sometimes it seems that the world cannot possibly get any worse, we are all in this together — as cliché as that may sound. No one and nothing can take our accomplishments and individualities away from us, nor stop us from achieving more.

Seniors, this is our year. We made it our own and will continue to do so.

Your President,

Natalia Reboredo.