Christian Leriche

President

Once again, I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you for making me your senior class president. It’s been awesome. I’m thankful for the connections I’ve been able to make with you all, the time I’ve been able to spend at different events and the chance to learn more about each and every single one of you all. During my time as president, I’ve been proud and humbled to have been able to plan a lot of fun events.

I also want to extend a huge thanks to my fellow class officers, Maisha, Ami and Cippara. Making our senior year amazing has been so easy with their help and hard work.

Needless to say, I know that each and every single one of you will excel in life, and you all have amazing futures ahead. You all make me proud to be able to call you my classmates, my peers and my friends. Over the last six years, I’ve had a lot of fun growing as a person with you all and seeing how all of you guys have grown and bloomed into better people.

There is a quotation by Winnie the Pooh that says, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” I can proudly say that I heavily relate to that sentiment. My time at Boston Latin School makes me feel extremely lucky — so much so that it is really difficult for me to let it go and leave it in the past. As an athlete, class officer and friend, the connections that I have made around the school make it extremely hard for me to say goodbye. It is time, however, for us to step into a new chapter of our lives, explore the world and leave an impact on it. No matter where we venture next, never forget the time we spent together, the memories we shared and the community we’ve built.

With that being said, it has been a wonderful experience and pleasure to be your senior class president.

With much love,

Christian Leriche

Maisha Kazi

Vice President

I don’t have a better way of starting this so — CLASS OF 2022, WE BACK!

And somehow we’re already at the end. What a crazy past two years we’ve had. Who knew we’d leave the building as 15- and 16-year-olds, just to come back two years later with beards, uneven bangs and grown-out dyed hair. I definitely didn’t. If there is one thing this graduating class knows, it is resilience. We patiently waited for things to get better, and they eventually did. Even though we missed out on a lot of formative time together, we can’t deny how lucky we are to have had our whole senior year in person. It’s been a minute since a senior class has been able to say this, so rejoice! Hug your friends! We had a good run.

Congratulations to all of you, Class of ‘22. I am so incredibly proud of every single one of you. Your hard work has paid off. Those four or six years of blood, sweat and tears (heavy on the tears; you guys need to sleep more) have led us to this moment. As I am writing this, it still hasn’t set in that our journey together is over. Whether it’s due to two years of Zoom or the fact that we have a weird extra week of school (thanks, BPS), I just really can’t believe we’re at the end. Regardless, it has been a privilege to grow up with you all. This is one of the kindest, strongest and most supportive groups of people I have ever met. Class of ‘22, you guys know how to come together after tough times. You’ve all managed to get back to business as usual despite forgetting how to hold a pencil. That was an exaggeration, but seriously, I commend you all for overcoming the transition from chilling at home to returning to the intensity of BLS. Your strength does not go unnoticed.

As our time together comes to a close, let us not forget the things that made our time at BLS quite the experience. The all-nighters, the hundreds spent at Dunkin’ or Starbucks, lamenting the loss of Sami’s, the procrastination, the jitters before declamation, gawking at Sophie Ahearn’s outrageous Wacky Wednesday fits, the random fire alarm that went off during the Extracurricular Fair and the lifelong friendships we’ve made — this is what truly makes BLS, BLS. As you look back at your four or six years, I want to remind you all to do one thing from now on: STOP WORRYING SO MUCH! Myself included! It is too often we get wrapped up in worrying about the next test or project that we forget to live in the moment. Look up more. We are still so young. Have fun before the wrinkles set in.

As we go our separate ways, remember that it is okay to be uncertain of what comes next. We don’t need to have life figured out at the age of 18. Just as we did at BLS, we will learn as we go. That’s the beauty of the journey. Regarding this one, well, IT’S ALL OVER! :).

Farewell 2022,

Maisha Kazi

Ami Ramey Winikur

Treasurer

In my life, I have attended five schools. The Sumner for one year, the Philbrick for four years, the Bates for two years, the Irving for one year and finally, Boston Latin School. The six years I spent at this institution mark the longest period I have ever been at one school and part of one community.

We share an experience and environment that can only be found in one place: BLS. Where else do you have classmates that are taking both Latin and Chinese? Where else do you have to deal with a bat flying around a hallway? These unique experiences bring together many special and outstanding individuals.

I must admit, some of my days here were overwhelming, most prominently in my first few years. We operate at such a high level that it can often be smothering, especially at a young age. Over time, however, I have grown to appreciate the special aspects of our school. The supportive network of teachers, faculty and friends is what I find most memorable.

Teachers have been the root of a lot of my frustration as a student (I’m sure I’m not alone on this), but they also served as an important catalyst for my development as a student and as a person. Thank you to all the teachers who had served that role during my time here at BLS. Thank you for your patience when I got a concussion. Thank you for working with me when I fell behind, and on behalf of all my peers: thank you for working with us through the years of COVID-19. You offered me support when I needed it the most. Faculty like my guidance counselors (shoutout to Ms. Encarnacao and Mr. Greenidge) were always there to help me when I was struggling. This year especially, I grew more appreciative of their guidance as I navigated the college process.

Thank you to my peers in the senior class government. With you three by my side, the work we did this year was fun, engaging and impactful. To all my seniors, we did it. I am so proud of all of you for making it to this point. We’ve struggled for many years to get here. Now, it is time to revel in our achievements and enjoy ourselves. To my friends, thank you for being there when I needed you. My friends are what got me through these last few years.

If I could give one piece of advice to the students that will still be here next year, it would be to make friends with whom you can depend on to make you smile. It’s important to enjoy life while you pursue excellence.

Finally, farewell to all of those I will leave behind and all of those that are taking these next steps with me.

Cippara Abraham

Secretary

Dear Class of 2022,

Congrats. We did it. It’s been a good six years with you all, and it’s bittersweet to say goodbye. It’s significantly sweeter though. It’s 90 percent sweet and ten percent bitter. We shared many memories and experiences. We also missed a couple years because of COVID-19, but it’s okay because we got through it, and we are now graduating. I’m very thankful that we were able to return to semi-normalcy and enjoy our senior year activities. I don’t really have a lot to say since these six years were a blur and went by fast (and extremely slow, at the same time), but I’ll try.

The transition into high school was really interesting. Instead of clusters, we had the majority of our classes on the same floor, and we all moved together. We all got to meet different people from other clusters and another whole new group of students, the B-sies. Some of our greatest friendships have formed after this change, or remained the same to this day. I’m happy I’ve gotten to mingle with a lot of you. The bonds and friendships everyone has made are what made school most enjoyable. All of us now share the bond (and trauma) of Boston Latin School, and I hope that after we graduate, we can all keep in touch. If by any chance we cross paths, I hope you stop and say hi to me (because I will most certainly stop and say hi back). Even when classes were tough and days were challenging, we were able to rely on each other to brighten up the days.

I’m not sure if you’re as excited to graduate as I am, but I’m really excited to leave this chapter behind me. We are all moving into the next stages of our lives, and I’m proud of all of us for thuggin’ through it. I’m really happy for us all, and I hope we all achieve great things or find and do things that make us happy and fulfilled. Also, graduating in the year of 2022 is super satisfying. 2022 is a really nice sounding year and the fact that there are three 2s in it will surely bring our class some kind of great luck. “222” is supposedly some angelic number so if we apply the same logic, I’m sure the magic will rub off on us (let’s just ignore the zero in the middle). I’m sure of it.

Anyway, no matter how you feel now, just know that you are achieving something great already. If you feel like you didn’t end on the best or strongest note, just know that you still have the rest of your life ahead of you to do something epic (used unironically). Lastly, I’ll leave you with this:

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”

Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

Best,

Cippara Abraham