Exhibiting Resilience

Good morning—friends, family, faculty, and most importantly, the La Jolla Country Day School graduating class of 2023! I’d like to thank you all for being here today. 

I think we can all agree that our high school experience didn’t turn out, even remotely, how we’d expected it to. We began as wide-eyed freshmen, eager to explore high school and experience all it offered. Unfortunately, the pandemic cut our freshman year short and threw us into a whole new reality where we were attending classes tucked in bed. Then, in sophomore year, we worked through the pandemic on the tennis court and in the parking lot, with half of our class in person and the other half online. We came back to school last year, albeit with masking and social distancing. And this year, we finally finished high school with a normal senior year. 

We went through some wild circumstances as a class. But, without fail, we continued to make the best of it and navigate these crazy times together. In the past couple of weeks, I reached out to a few classmates to highlight our class’s best memories from the past four years. A few of you remembered when Evan Estrada sang Anaconda by Nicki Minaj in front of the entire high school. Another popular one was when Harris Feinman showed up to APUSH in a bright blue dress so Mr. Prychun would cancel class for the day. But, by far, the moment that you all remembered best was when the one and only Gabe Kassab shaved his hair and eyebrows just to get some extra credit in Mr. Kim’s math class. 

Now, my point in telling these stories is simple. They were all moments that kept our spirits high and helped us get through high school. They are a testament to our strength and resilience as a class—showing how we continued to find bright spots in seemingly dark times. And, if we could make it through high school in the circumstances that presented themselves, I am confident that we are well-equipped to conquer all of the challenges that will come our way in the future. I know this resilience will help guide us through college, pursue careers and contribute significantly to the world. The fact that we are here graduating today is proof of that. As I stand in front of the next generation of leaders, I am very proud to graduate alongside all of you, and I am extremely excited to see the amazing achievements we all make one day. Thank you.