Leila Ohashi
Valedictorian
I think it’s safe to say that we had one of the most tumultuous beginnings to a Boston Latin School career. The journey hasn’t been the easiest either, but I’m grateful that I got to undertake it with all of you, Class of 2026. Thank you for the memories that I’ll cherish for life: from Mr. Bartoloma’s Latin Prose class where we shouted “Fein!” every time an ablative absolute popped up, to Mr. O’s APEM class where wires caught on fire from short circuits and to the chaos of Chinese class.
You all made these past six years worth it. Whenever people ask me what my favorite part about BLS is, I always respond with “the people.” And it’s true; you all are the kindest, most brilliant people. You are the people who lend me pencils, who help me pick up my binder when I drop it in the hallway, who strike up a conversation with me every day, who humor my terrible puns.
Thank you to the teachers who have made such a positive impact: Mr. Fogel, for making World History 1 the first history class that I loved, Mr. Zou, for still asking me how soccer season is going four years later, Mr. Bartoloma and Ms. LeDang, for making me love Latin, Ms. Cojohn and Mr. Walker, for being probably the two best math teachers I’ve had and will ever have and Mr. O and Mr. Southwick, for teaching me to be more critical and ask “why.”
And I would be remiss to not mention the girls’ soccer team. You have all seen me through the best and worst times. Soccer has been such an important part of my life, and I’m going to miss the bus rides where we sang “Don’t Stop Believing” and “Baby” at the top of our lungs.
These six years have felt mind-numbingly slow and incredibly fast all at once. It’s hard to believe it’s finally over. BLS has encompassed a third of my life, and I’m going to hold on tight to the memories.
If there’s one piece of advice that I could offer, it would be to hold your head high and keep walking. We’ve made it through BLS, so, really, we can make it through anything.
From Zoom to graduation, we persevered, cried and laughed; we conquered tests, pop quizzes and the flashlight project. We did it, Class of 2026!!
Andy Yu
Hi everyone!
It’s all over! It’s crazy how quickly these six years at the Boston Latin School have flown by. We’ve come so far from those little Zoom boxes in sixie year, coming into our own as musicians, athletes, actors or simply good friends. There are so many things that make BLS special — cheering for Asian Night performances, slogging through six classes of homework in the wee hours of the morning, laughing at Mr. Brownell’s unhinged laetissimus puer stickers or cackling during improv shows in the Black Box.
But what really differentiates BLS is the people.
To my fellow seniors, thank you all for being the best community I could ever hope for, cheering at the pep rallies, commiserating over long homework assignments, playing ping-pong in the halls or just being there with a smile on your face during homeroom.
To my teachers and role models, thank you for being such upstanding, inspirational individuals. Mr. Howard, I hope that I’ll have your passion in whatever I do. Thank you Mr. Southwick, for being there for everyone with warmth and genuine kindness; Ms. Yang, for filling three years of Chinese with so many laughs and songs; Mr. P, Mr. Finnigan and Ms. LeDang, for showing me how a great teacher can transform a subject; Mr. Grammar and Ms. McKenna, for bringing art and music back into my life; Mr. Balicki and Ms. Bateman, for showing me how controlled chaos and humor can drive people to even greater heights; and to all of my teachers and peers — in every single one of you, I see a quality to strive toward.
To the underclassmen, thank you for bringing vitality and passion into my clubs; I know that we’ll be leaving BLS in good hands. I urge you all to find what you love, and do that as well as you can. So long as you can genuinely say that you put in the most effort possible for you, there is nothing to regret or worry about.
Thank you, and congratulations again, seniors! And for the last time, good luck, everyone!
– Andy
Mary Deng
Looking back on the past six years, one of which was online, I am filled with excitement, introspection, and nostalgia. I still remember the moment I stepped (figuratively) into the first day of sixie year. While Zoom school certainly was an unexpected start to the year, I feel all the memories forged in the years following made up for it.
I will miss making dancing popcorn at BLS LAB, playing card games at Science Olympiad tournaments and devouring cookies and cream (aka the best ice cream flavor) at the annual Argo social. I will reminisce about selling tickets for Catapulta’s Pi day, soaring through the Anaheim air on Universal Studios rollercoasters during DECA International Career Development Conference and performing beautiful melodies with the orchestra. I will cherish helping with the reel (now an annual tradition) for Senior Math Seminar’s @nguyens.newborns, witnessing Doc levitate on Halloween and hopping onto the 39 bus, where I now write this farewell, to Forest Hills.
If I were to give one piece of advice to underclassmen, it would be this: get involved! Join new clubs, sports, and/or ensembles; volunteer with that community service organization you’ve been eyeing; participate in a good cause, because before you know it, it will be all over.
Lastly, thank you to everyone who made the experience so worthwhile. Congratulations, Class of 2026!
Signing off,
Mary Deng
Noah Liu
Hello chuds — charming, hardworking and understanding dreamers. Every student has a maximum of six, maybe even seven, years at BLS. Now that the formalities are aside, it is perhaps time to talk about BLS.
To the best class ever, Dr. Nguyen’s R5 AP Calculus BC class, I know we are all going to do great things and score fives on the AP exam, of course. To all of my wonderful teachers, you are the reason I am here and you are what makes this school so special. I will always cherish and never forget any of you, even if I terrorized your class with my jokes. To my orchestra peers, thank you for tolerating my endless clowning, and I cannot wait to see you continue to win gold. To my soccer team, I’m so proud to call myself a member, although perhaps not a playing member, of our team. To all of my graduating seniors, we are done! The last few years have been a difficult, occasionally wonderful, but overall worth it experience. BLS has prepared us for everything which we will face, and I know we will all succeed. To everyone else, work hard, as it will propel you to great success, but don’t forget to play hard, as your time at BLS is fleeting and will transform your life.
If the world can be your oyster, BLS is the pearl. Every year is filled with wonderful excitement, culminating in your graduation. However, the center of a pearl is perhaps the most forgotten, yet fundamental part. Every student’s journey at BLS is different, yet also linked by hard work, struggles and, of course, endless complaining. It is only with the introduction of an irritant that a treasure is created; it is only with the introduction of pain and hours of work that the treasure of BLS is revealed. For those yet to graduate, take the time to enjoy BLS, its activities and its unity. Embrace the struggles, not because the result defines you but because getting there leads you to greatness. When you throw up your graduation cap, just remember that the cap can only fly should you lift it up. Thank you!
— Noah Liu
Faye Nazarchuk
It’s finally over! I’m so proud of this class, especially after enduring a hellish virtual sixie year. I could talk endlessly about the things that give this school its reputation: the academic excellence, athleticism, determination, musicality, artistry and general talent. But what I’m going to miss most is the spaces in between them — talking to people before class, making faces at my friends in the hallway and scarfing down my lunch because I got distracted laughing.
I’m especially grateful to everyone in BLS theatre. Thank you for forcing me to step outside academics and giving me an avenue for self-expression. This organization has been a home to me, given me some of my closest friends and pulled me out of the void more times than I can count.
My biggest piece of advice is this: don’t get tunnel vision. Especially at this school, it’s easy to do only what’s nevcessary to be “the best” and filter everything else out. But there’s so much more to life than being productive. Let yourself enjoy things for their own sake; go see community theater, paint (even if — especially if — you suck at it), and, for god’s sake, read. Read the news, read to learn, read for pleasure, step into the shoes of people who seem to be nothing like you. Don’t be boring. Don’t do merely what is required of you; the more eclectic you are, the better. And I know for certain from my time here that that is possible for every one of you.
Sophie Shepherd
Vita bella est. Life is also overwhelming, chaotic, and beyond our control. Yet, while we cannot dictate what life throws our way, we each have agency over our response. Growing up, my dad emphasized the importance of effort. Whether I came home from a soccer game or a challenging exam, my parents always asked the same question first: did you try your best? The score or grade didn’t matter. Regardless of the outcome, I could always take pride knowing that I had put forth my best effort — I focused on what I could control.
This mindset defined how I approached each day. However, sometimes doing my best felt like a “have to” obligation. At BLS, I learned to recognize that schoolwork and extracurriculars are “get to” opportunities. As my rowing coach Conor Fearon so often reminds me, the day is long, but the weeks, months and even years, are short. With my time at BLS coming to a close, a moment that even this fall seemed impossibly far away, I am grateful to the earlier versions of myself who continued to show up and give their best. So start today. Take advantage of the countless opportunities that BLS offers. Pursue what excites you. Celebrate your niche interests and nerdy side — we all have one. Most importantly, tell those around you how much they mean to you, because we certainly don’t navigate life alone. Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way.
Lastly, to the Class of 2026 — we did it!
Evan Ding
It’s hard to imagine that a transformative six years started with me staring at a screen filled with faces in a grid-like pattern. I am almost too embarrassed to look back at myself as I am writing this now, but perhaps that was just a testament to how much I have grown because of my time at BLS. I am a strong believer that the qualities of BLS were intentional, even the six-day rotation that always threw me off at the start of each year and the lunch schedule, because those subtle, nigh-unnoticeable events have now forced me to make a change to my learning. A huge thank you to my teachers, Mr. P for your chill attitude, Mr. Southwick for your enthusiasm, Mr. Fogel for your wisdom, Ms. Yang for your chaos, Mr. Sanford for your patience, Ms. Cojohn and Ms. Sarkis for your smiles and so many more! Lastly, I am so grateful for all the friends and people I have met on my Latin School journey. All of you together have made my experience truly one-of-a-kind, and as such, I would like to sincerely dedicate this farewell on behalf of all of you. We have pulled through, with numerous ups and downs, only left now with the anticipation of the word you will hear at our graduation, as well as the word which I will end this goodbye with: congratulations!
