By Tatiana Mendez
Boston Prep Class of 2020 Valedictorian, Columbia University Class of 2024

I wonder if when the 1918 influenza pandemic hit the US, valedictorians across the country still had to write speeches. Regardless of whether they did or didn’t, this is Boston Prep we’re talking about, the school that “can’t stop; won’t stop,” so here I am, reading my speech to you.

I wish that this speech would come as easy to me as the rest of the essays I have ever written for this school. In a moment when I should have the right words to say, I don’t. In a moment when we should be gathered at the Strand Theater, we aren’t. In a moment when we should be saying our goodbyes, it turns out we already said them March 12th, without even knowing it. In a moment when most of us shouldn’t even have any reason to know what Zoom is, here we are, celebrating one of the biggest moments of our lives in a Zoom room.

With our world turned upside down, I’m wondering if anything I say in this moment will even be relevant in the future.

Before March of 2020, I, like the rest of you, had a routine. I’d wake up, go to school, come home, do what I needed to do, and repeat everyday. Now that routine is gone, and we have had to come to terms with a new routine. We wake up just in time for our first Zoom class of the day. We’ve adjusted to the awkwardness of the silence during what should be our great discussions, and we’ve gotten used to falling asleep later than 2AM everyday. I don’t know about you, but I actually miss the hassle of getting on the MBTA. I miss its unreliability, its stench, and the very unique people I’d see. Most of all, I miss spending time with you all outside of Boston Prep, whether that be during the car rides home, birthday dinners, or at Desiree’s house. It’s those little moments that I’ll cherish, even after this is all over it.

If someone were to ask me, as I began my senior year, if I thought this would be my future, I would have laughed and said, “You’re joking, right?” Pero, here we are. And here I am, tasked with sharing my words of wisdom with you, my fellow graduates, as we step into very uncertain but bright futures.

So I leave you today with these thoughts:

First, remain adaptable. I think that the times have proven that we need to be okay with change because nothing is for certain. This fixation on having a plan, maintaining a structure, and just simply knowing the right answer is clearly no longer the wave. As much as we’d like to think we are in control of the world around us, our reality has proven otherwise.
Second, be bold. As the United States faces two deadly viruses, COVID-19 and racism, we know that the latter won’t be the easier to cure. Do not silence yourself in the face of authority. These times are calling for unorthodox methods to cure something that pre-existed us and, hopefully, won’t outlive us.
Third, bring positivity to the spaces that you enter because while you can’t control what goes on around you, you can at least control the energy you put out. Keep that same energy that you put out on Facebook because you guys truly make me laugh on a daily basis.
Above all, stay who you are fundamentally. Over the last week, our Senior Ethics Defenses have pushed us to reflect on who we are, what we stand for, and how we anticipate we’ll stay true to ourselves. Please don’t forget your reflections moving forward. The point of them, besides being able to graduate, was to provide us with one thing - that is, certainty in who we are. And while we are each unique, we, the members of the Boston Prep Class of 2020, are a community that knows when to speak up for injustices, is revolutionary, and, most importantly, is capable. I hope you know that you have been in control of your own self development and that only you can be the judge of your own character.

Although our graduation doesn’t look the way we imagined or the way we’d like it to be, it does not change what we have accomplished. In these last four years, we’ve overcome the very smelly times of the old building without A/C. We made it through a very messy junior year and still showed out. We’ve collectively advocated for changes in our school policies, even for teachers who are now gone. We’ve been vulnerable with each other, and we’ve been honest. We made it. Be proud! There will be a day when we’ll be able to celebrate in the way we want, but for now, be happy knowing that we’ll become a DBQ prompt in the future. I anticipate we’ll get at least a page in the Out of Many textbook we all love and adore.

On that note, CONGRATULATIONS to us, the Class of 2020.