The graduating class of 2021 was introduced to UC High in what must be described as an unconventional way. On Freshman Orientation Day in 2017, we swarmed together in the gym, clad in our white 2021 t-shirts, as Principal Jeff Olivero introduced us to UC High and each other. This was the day Olivero invented the signature 2021 hand sign. It was the first day that we celebrated each other, together, as a class. At the end, Olivero herded us together, piling students on top of students, to show that we, as a class, must support each other.

   And we’ve done just that: four years later, we’ve come together for dances, pep rallies, football games, and spirit weeks. We survived a pandemic together, cheered each other on as we applied to college, and helped each other through challenging academics and sporting events. We’ve come together for impactful club meetings, where we were able to surround ourselves with like-minded people and find out what our passions were and how we wanted to impact the world.

   For many, these moments defined their high school experiences, compensating for the time and effort spent on schoolwork and other stressors. Yet, for others like ourselves, the education itself was the reward. The teachers and the classroom experiences they provided made our time at UC High so valuable. We’re extraordinarily grateful for the immensely rewarding learning opportunities afforded to us while here at UC High — we owe so much of our success in our high school careers to the incredible teachers we had and the courses we were able to take, all of which helped us develop the skills that will carry us through college and our careers. Besides critical thinking and technical skills, we were also given opportunities to grow into ourselves.

   Senior year crept up on us — our first day together as freshmen seems like just yesterday. But somehow, we ended up growing up into an incredibly diverse group of people, each of us unique and valuable in our own way. It was easy not to notice this while it happened: between the classes and extracurriculars and immense stress that we all dealt with, it was so easy to only focus on what was directly in front of us and lose sight of ourselves and the future.

   And yet, here we are — facing the next chapter of our lives, ready to move on to the next great thing. But as we move on, we think it’s important to note that we still have a lot of potential for growth left in us. This is the end of a formative, important part of life, but it is only a small chapter in our stories. Just as our interests and choices defined us during high school, it is up to each of us to determine what happens next.