I first met Zach at a Model United Nations (UN) meeting in 2021 during online school… or at least a black Zoom screen which said “Zachary Chen” — you always insisted that your camera was “broken.” I didn’t know it at the time, but over the next four years, Zach would come to have an enormous impact on my time at Boston Latin School.

Zach, I’m incredibly thankful for your friendship. Although I was initially hesitant, you convinced me to bridge the enduring rivalry between Model UN and Speech and Debate, helping me find my way as a delegate and debater. The memories I have made in both clubs will last a lifetime. Whether it be prepping Congressional Debate bills at midnight after finding out round assignments on Tabroom, soldiering through Harvard and Boston University’s Model UN conferences for three straight days or commiserating about the outrageous cost of airport food en route to debate tournaments, I will always look back fondly on our time together.

It has been equally as rewarding to see you develop in the various activities we compete in. Your drive to increase the number of competitors in our debate event (we’re catching up to you, Public Forum!) through aggressive recruitment, taking newcomers aside for specific feedback and leading Model UN through the turbulent post-pandemic period speak volumes about your abilities as a natural leader. From the long calls about potential lecture topics and strategy to running sometimes mundane weekly meetings, your persistent dedication to helping others succeed, even if it means you will have more competitors in Model UN and Debate,  is inspiring.

I’m forever grateful for your willingness to put down whatever you’re doing to answer my questions, even if you have a mountain of work ahead of you. I would not be the person I am today if you hadn’t acted as a guiding hand through BLS, pushing me to go out of my comfort zone and explore different interests.

Although perpetually sleep deprived, you also had your fair share of competitive success as well. To list just a few accolades, you’ve qualified to the national debate tournament more times than I can count, was a finalist at the International Science and Engineering Fair and, perhaps most impressively, you placed third at a Model UN conference after missing half of it because your alarm hadn’t gone off that morning.

You have an amazing future ahead of you, and I can’t wait to see what you’ll do at Harvard come September!