“No minute like the last minute” is a quote that perfectly encapsulates Grace. Meet Grace O’Brien: the girl behind the most infectious laugh I’ve ever heard, the biggest heart I’ve ever known and the one person I could not have survived Boston Latin School without. I met Grace 14 years ago at the Patrick Lyndon Elementary School, and ever since then she’s been by my side. If I had to describe Grace in one word it would be “dependable.” If Grace says she’ll be there, she will. If Grace makes a promise, she keeps it. Most importantly, she ALWAYS answers my many FaceTime calls, no matter what.
Grace and I both made the decision to take AP Chemistry our junior year. We are hardworking, good students, but this decision did come as a shock to many, and we struggled, but we struggled together. Grace and I FaceTimed every night to do our homework together, along with every Thursday to study for our Friday quizzes. We spent multiple hours laughing as we solved for reaction rates and molar concentrations we truly had no business solving. AP Chemistry was hard; we put a lot of effort in and we spent a lot of time on it. But what could have been so miserable was the best experience of my BLS career, and that was because of Grace.
We then decided to take both AP Biology and Physics 1 senior year, where we had a similar experience of FaceTimes full of some of the hardest laughs of my life. The point of this story is that BLS is hard, but Grace has gotten me through even the hardest times.
For the past two years, I have been lucky enough to drive to school with Grace. No matter what, she would be finishing her homework from the night before in the car. This became a running joke that made us laugh, HARD. For example, we had three months to do the physics book report that Grace completed the night before it was due. Her procrastination is so bad we even joked that she would complete it in the four minutes between Psychology and Physics class. You may think this makes Grace’s work mediocre, but her work is a true reflection of the effort and dedication she has put into everything she has done here at BLS.
Next year, Grace is heading to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where she will be studying neuroscience in hopes of eventually becoming a surgeon. She is going to forever change the world of healthcare, and I can’t wait to watch!
Grace, I thank God everyday for our friendship, for our laughs and for all our memories. I love you and how much you procrastinate. Go change the world the way I know you will! Always remember to make every minute, especially the last minute, count!