A love letter to the Class of 2015, and to the Marymount Community:

First off, I would like to thank my class and the school for the endless love and dedication that supplemented my journey through high school and allowed me to grow into the woman I am today.

Thinking back on my past four years at Marymount brings many memories to mind; but trying to describe the past four years leaves me a bit dumbfounded. How can you describe the immense change that we endured? The problems and conflicts we faced and resolved, both individually and as a class? The relationships we made between friends and faculty? How can I describe Marymount, itself? In response to these questions that have been nagging me, especially near graduation, I tried to tell a little of my story in relation to the Class of 2015’s journey together:

I remember the first time I made a name for myself: it was freshman year, and class elections were approaching. As a self-diagnosed control freak, I decided I needed to run for class president. Typically, Marymount students tend to elect candidates with the funniest speech: something I could never master, something that would lead to my downfall. In my speech, I presented my abilities and accomplishments to persuade the class to entrust me with the presidency, while also including a punch line that would solidify the vote. Promising transparency, I dropped my pants since I had “nothing to hide.”  Instead of the laughter I expected to hear, I found myself frightening the ninth grade. Although I only revealed checkered boxers, the class didn’t understand the joke or gesture: I wanted us to trust one another. That day could have forever endangered my reputation; thankfully, I still had four years to forge a different identity for myself other than “that girl who dropped her pants.” Although my blunder may have been more of a public affair, I think, as freshmen, we all endured our own failures and achievements that helped define our own identities. Whether it was tripping in front of a group of seniors, completing a series of round-offs at Spirit Week (Claire Murphy), or acing that first biology test, we forged a name for the Class of 2015 through our collective identities.

We were well into sophomore year when labels developed and reputations latched on to fellow class members. That year, I also discovered that teachers and classes earned reputations. For example, Ms. Lebenzon’s AP European History class. The first day we stepped into B-307, the stress had already infected my class: there was no laughter, no whispers about summer scandals, only a deep, silent anticipation for our first advanced placement class. While Ms. Lebenzon bribed us with tea and other treats, we drowned in discussion questions that asked us to read, research, and recite the information we were assigned to read. Another distinct aspect of the class was the seminar, which was a ten-minute presentation on a certain topic dealing with European history, such as the social order in Prussia, or the rise of Fascism. Ultimately, AP Euro – as we lovingly call it – led to the premature gray hairs on many of our young heads, but it also taught us the importance of teacher-student relationships, how to deal with stress, how to survive 5 hour Saturday review sessions, and how, according to Ms. Lebenzon, Twilight is the best movie ever. With all that I had learned in AP Euro, I decided to watch a Twilight marathon, and engage in my newfound love for history. I ended up applying for the Homeland Security and Public Safety internship at the Los Angeles City Hall with deputy mayor Ms. Decker. As an intern, I dove into a world of policy and government, problem and solution, security and safety. Most importantly, I established a relationship with my city and became inspired to serve the public and utilize my leadership skills in order to pursue a career in government. If Marymount hadn’t provided its students with opportunities such as the internship program, I may never have been able to discover my passion for history and politics, let alone have such an influential work experience. I would like to take this moment to thank Marymount for all the different opportunities it has provided us.

In our last year at Marymount, the Class of 2015 was bombarded with AP work, several extra curriculars, and college applications. We could all bond over the inescapable stress we were in: it was palpable in every class. College applications had become a lifestyle to us: diction and sentence structure were at the forefronts of our mind waking up, and as we went to sleep. I remember one particular essay that caught my attention: one college asked what outraged me, and why? Now, there are plenty of things that outrage us, but my immediate thought was feminism.

Feminism has become an integral part of my identity. Throughout my years at Marymount, I discovered the value of supporting other women at school and in life. Women still strive to break glass ceilings and gain equality, and it’s imperative that girls help each other so they may succeed individually and collectively. Unfortunately, the word suffers from the common misconception of discriminating against men. The negative aspects associated with the term have tarnished the meaning of the word itself: too many times I have heard that feminism is an outdated, radical term. Feminism should be perceived as it’s actually defined: equality for women. Feminism empowers women to strengthen their relationships and identities: hence, I am outraged by people who can’t see the beauty in this community or in the equality of women. As the RSHM mission statement reminds us, our goal, as Marymount woman, is to work “That all may have life, and have it to the full:” and that includes women, and men, and dogs, and cats, and even plants. Writing about something that outraged me allowed me to take the greatest lesson I have learned from our school and write about it to step into my future.  I am a proud member of the Marymount community, and I am a proud feminist.

And that is what I hope for this class. I hope you all can look back: look back at the challenges, the blossomed relationships, the education we received, and apply it to wherever life takes you. I hope Marymount has taught you one or two things about the world, a few lessons from literature, some information on history and science and math, but most importantly, I hope Marymount has taught you about yourself: who you were, who you are, and who you want to be. And I hope you are proud of the person you are today, because I see an amazing, talented class ready to flourish in life. You’re all going to go far, so let’s start running.