This will probably be short, as I have no idea how to write a senior op (is there a right or wrong way?), but it may end up being long, as I’m sure more thoughts will come to me in the course of trying to cobble this together. However, as they say, brevity is the soul of wit. Let’s find out together, shall we?

Not unlike many of my fellow seniors, I came to Brandeis (and The Hoot) virtually. At the beginning of my first-ever semester (the spring semester of 2021), I entered a Zoom room titled “The Hoot Production Night” and never looked back. Copy editing brought me to social media, and I still do both for this amazing paper to this day. I knew I wanted to be a writer or an editor for my professional career post-graduation, and working with so many lovely people on a community newspaper that keeps going because it cares so much about Brandeis has been such a formative experience for me and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The Hoot has been the club I’ve been involved with the longest in my time at Brandeis, and I’m grateful for its constant presence in my life. Even during semesters I was less involved, I knew there was a room I’d always be welcome in. Personal, professional and community experience are all in one place at The Hoot. It’s been a gift to me.

The other things I did my first virtual semester (the classes I chose, the professors I met, the virtual play I was in, the pre-orienta tion and orientation events I participated in, the club Zoom rooms I visited) set me up for invariable successes over my seven semesters at Brandeis: four orientations (one as participant and three as an orientation leader), twelve plays and musicals (see my other article this issue!), 33 classes, two majors, one honors research essay, one internship, many field trips and club events, innumerable LATTE posts, papers and projects, a ton of inside jokes, more parties than I expected, various clubs and too many friends and mentors to count all made up my college experience.

I couldn’t imagine choosing just one of these places, times, groups of people or events to focus on, so I’ll elect to keep this short and sweet. Every little memory here has built me up into the best possible version of myself. I have found Brandeis to be the place I have been able to be most myself in my entire life. I don’t know what I’ll do without the amazing community I’ve found here. But I know if my career at Brandeis is anything to show for it, I’ll continue to find amazing things in my future (fingers crossed). 

I also have hope for Brandeis’ future, as dire as it may seem to some of us. Brandeis was founded as a place for social justice, diversity and inclusion, and for 75 years countless visionaries, academics, researchers, performers, musicians, students and professors have found something about Brandeis worth contributing to. The kind of people Brandeis has drawn to it over its comparatively short history was what drew me here. I chose Brandeis not only for its statistics and academics, but because of its people and its culture. From the very first time I set foot on campus to the last, I take comfort in knowing that the people here are if nothing else kind, open-minded and passionate.

Thank you to The Hoot. Thank you to the English and Theater Arts departments. Thank you to every single club I’ve been a part of, no matter how briefly. Thank you to the clubs I haven’t been a part of and your contributions to campus culture. Thank you to every student, staff, faculty member and person I’ve ever met thanks to the incredible opportunities Brandeis has created for me and countless others. And lastly, congratulations to the class of 2024!