Nicla Marabito
Valedictorian
Dear Boston Latin School Classes of 2025–2030,
Sumus primi — it’s true.
Boston Latin School is indeed first, foremost, number one. If I am at all qualified to give advice on being prima, this is it. You should all carry yourselves with the confidence of the best, primi. As BLS students and soon-to-be alumni, you are. It’s not arrogance if it’s true.
Being the best is not a solitary effort. Thank you to our teachers, counselors, administrators, staff and families for their knowledge, support, guidance, encouragement and inspiration. Thank you, Class of 2025.
I am grateful to you for staying up late with me to build electric motors; translating Basque numbers such as berrehun hiru, Tariana evidentials and Swahili verbs like tulipika in Linguistics Club; suggesting that I include some kind of concealed message in this farewell, which I did; keeping me company with all your initials in the top right corner of the Aeneid I document the day before the exam; acting as my co-counsel in the Genghis Khan mock trial, which we won; racing me to the top of the theater at Epidaurus while in Greece with the Classics Department; practicing our Italian at the Dante Society; inviting me to your concerts and sharing your compositions; engaging in playful college rivalry by putting your Brown stickers on Harvard’s campus; sharing your fashion advice; making me laugh; and impressing me every day with how incredibly smart and motivated you are. It has been an honor to spend the past few years with you.
After graduation, I will study Linguistics and Physics at Harvard College, retire the dark red leather shoulder bag I carry around the BLS hallways and smile whenever I see inscriptions, mottos or abbreviations in Latin. Even as we leave 78 Avenue Louis Pasteur, I am confident we will see each other again. In Catullus’s words from “Poem 46,”
O dulces comitum valete coetus,
longe quos simul a domo profectos
diversae varie viae reportant!
Nicla
Olivia Ryan
Boston Latin School has gone by in such a flash. I remember counting down the days to graduation and leaving, and now it’s all over. Despite the struggles, late nights, never ending projects and terrible tests, I cherished my time at BLS. The stress it inevitably brought me also brought me closer to some of the best friends I could ever ask for. I’ve been able to perform at countless Winter Concerts, Music Nights, MLK Day Celebrations and Asian Nights, all bringing me closer to peers through song and dance.
My favorite experience at BLS has been the Taiwan trip. I got close to so many new people, was able to travel to a new country for the first time and could practice my Mandarin. I (along with so many of my friends who also went) continue to reference our time there, and I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.
One piece of advice I think helped me is to do things you enjoy. I don’t think I would’ve had such an amazing time at BLS if I didn’t go to events with friends or join any of the clubs and choirs I did. Another piece of advice (or rather a mindset) I’ve adopted this year has been to not take anything too seriously. Put in a good effort, obviously, but don’t stress small details or things you can’t control. I was only able to have fun at events when I stopped stressing about it all. Overall, enjoy yourself at BLS, try new things and savor it all, because it’ll be all over before you know it.
Caroline Song
In my six years at Boston Latin School, I have learned, laughed, suffered and sown the seeds of lifelong friendships. Whether staying up late working on homework or playing Minecraft and gacha games, going out to eat croissants or staying in to sing off-tune or even just coexisting in a way that lowers our collective IQ, I have never been truly alone. They have supported me and tolerated my existence in so many ways, whether in math class, debate tournaments or every day at lunch. BLS has challenged me: my teachers have given their passion along with course knowledge, going above and beyond to make sure I feel safe and welcome; it would be impossible for me to tell everything that has happened. Even in my hardest courses, it was because of my teachers that I did not feel discouraged. Finally, I’m not the best at giving or following advice (my sleep schedule can attest), but if I had to, I would wish you all would take care of yourselves (stop drinking Celsius. You know who you are) and put your own peace of mind first, because whatever challenge you will have to weather will eventually become another fond memory. In the end, I do love you guys. Hope to stay in touch, even as some of you fly off across the country. I’ll miss you, class of 2025, because I’m sure we all innately understand from the bags under each others’ eyes that these six years were not the easiest, but it was the people around us that made it worth it. Thanks for everything! <333
Emily Yu
When I first came to Boston Latin School, I was told this institution would open doors for me. As a sixie, the only doors I was concerned with were the ones which led to the Art Wing. Looking back now as a senior, I cannot count the invaluable opportunities and experiences I would have had if not for BLS.
Dancing the night away at Asian Night, having the cutest birthday surprise in Taiwan, saying, “Io!” too many times in freshman year Latin, wiping my tears with the April “break” packet from AP Lit and exploring Washington DC with the Ward Fellows are all core memories. I could not have asked for a better community to return to after COVID-19 than the girls’ varsity swim team, nor could I think of a moment that makes me tear up more than seeing our mockingbirds perform at Yale Mock Trial.
To my seniors: we are a class for the books. Having spent 33.333 percent of my life here, you guys have 100 percent of my heart.
And of course, thank you to my teachers Ms. Medvetz and Ms. Moon for making me a better writer, Ms. Kirkpatrick for reshaping the way I see the United States, Mr. Howland for being the “grrrrreat-est” coach ever, Mr. Zou for coming in everyday with more energy than a can of Celsius, Mr. Bilodeau for being the GOAT, Ms. Yang for making us your personal choir, Ms. Cojohn for being the reason I remember my +C’s and Mr. P for sacrificing your nose during Catapulta’s Pi Day.
To those returning to BLS as students, my biggest piece of advice is this: explore and enjoy. I suggest growing from looking to your left and right. Look forward. The future will come faster than you know.
Farewell Boston Latin School, it’s been real.
Maya Koreth
Looking back on my years at Boston Latin School, it’s hard to believe how quickly time passed. I still remember the excitement of seventh grade when I believed the stories of the fifth floor pool, nervously clutching my schedule as I tried to find the right hallways. Since then, BLS has become more than just a school — it’s become a second home, filled with laughter, stress and late nights spent frantically messaging friends that turned into unforgettable memories.
If I were to recount every moment at BLS that made me cry, laugh or shout for joy, we’d be here until the blank name in the auditorium is filled. Watching the step team perform on MLK Day, shouting myself hoarse cheering at Tet festival, the pride I felt winning Academic WorldQuest with my team twice — these are moments I’ll never forget. To my fellow seniors — thank you. For the energy you brought to assemblies, the chaotic magic of Spirit Day and for confirming that we will always be second to none in school pride.
Last but definitely not least, a huge thank you to my teachers and mentors. Ms. Medvetz, for giving me the skills I’ll need to succeed in any college writing class; Mr. Southwick, for pushing me to (and past) my limits in physics; Mr. P, for rekindling my love for chemistry; Mr. Mikalaitis, for being one of the most passionate teachers I’ve ever had; Ms. Cojohn, for making sure I never forget the chain rule; Mr. Zou, for being such a kind and funny club advisor and Ms. Segal, who was my lifesaver on more occasions than I can count — I truly couldn’t have done this without you.
We came in looking for the pool. We left with something better: a community of the best people. Here’s to what comes next!
Mark Snekvik
Dear Seniors, It’s all over!! I cannot believe that we have spent the last six years together. We’ve watched one another grow up, fall in love, accomplish amazing things and make mistakes. Thank you all for being such fun, amazing people who made me happy to come to school, even when I was severely underslept.
I remember eating lunch early on in seventh grade and realizing I was wolfing down my pizza super quickly. I realized that besides its delicious taste, my speedy consumption of my lunch was because I needed to fuel myself to keep up with all the stuff happening.
That sense of excitement and energy would continue throughout my time at Boston Latin School. Whether it was staying late for Gospel Choir rehearsals or spending early mornings at Boston University for Summer Certamen practice, the drive and zest for learning in this community has been so amazing and life-giving for me.
I want to shout out my Gospel Choir family, the Junior Classical League and Certamen peeps, Argonauts and band. These have been the places I have found my home at in BLS. Thank you to Ms. Moguel, Mr. Brownell, Mr. Howard, Ms. Lau, Ms. Moon, Ms. McKenna, Ms. LB, Mr. Smith and Ms. Cojohn for being wonderful mentors throughout my time at BLS… you guys are the best.
As we go off to do amazing things all across the world, I hope we will continue to stay in touch. I hope we will stay kind. And I hope we always remember Boston Public Schools so that kids in the future have the same wonderful education that we received.
Go Wolfpack!
-Mark
Ailin Sha
Hi beautiful people! It’s all over — we did it! The past six years have felt simultaneously swift and impossibly long. An entire year of remote learning certainly didn’t help improve my perception of time. Ultimately, however, I am proud that we former sixies who had our first year at Boston Latin School abruptly cut short are finally walking the graduation stage.
Thank you to the BLS faculty for being considerate and phenomenal teachers — we have learned so much from you all, within and beyond the classroom. Thank you so much to the senior seminar class led by the wonderful Mr. Bilodeau — I will deeply miss our R5 antics, from chaotic Secret Santa gift exchanges to lively potlucks. I feel lucky to have contributed to the legacy of @billys.babies. I’ll miss the Music Wing and the beloved Concert Strings Orchestra I’ve had the privilege of calling home for six years. I’ll miss Room Q in the library and our weekly Student Council board meetings with Mr. Levesque. I’ll miss the Dining Hall cheese pizza — there’s a special nostalgia to the smooth rectangular (sometimes triangular) slices.
Regardless of whether your BLS experience was smooth sailing or full of ups and downs, it is undeniable that our time at BLS has better prepared us for our futures and our adult lives.
To the sixies (and B-sies): try different things! Sign up for that club you haven’t heard of; try out for that sports team; apply for that summer fellowship. There are endless wonderful communities at BLS and you never know if you might discover a new passion or interest.
Thank you, and congratulations to the class of 2025!
-Ailin Sha