To The Class of 2023,

I still remember the first time I opened The Sage News. The recently published article at the time was a letter from the editor to the class of 2019, and I envisioned myself writing something similar to that four years later to you all. 

With a grateful heart, I am here today, writing to you and hoping to inspire you. 

While many view graduation as an end, I’m here to present you with an alternate, less depressive point of view. Admittedly, this is only the beginning of our collective narrative of resilience, passion and determination that continues to write itself.

Over the past four years, I’ve had the unique opportunity to uncover so many fantastic chapters of our shared story for The Sage. This year specifically, I’ve had the privilege of writing human interest features as well as pieces about local politics. While I often share with people that The Sage was the most rewarding aspect of my high school career, I’ve come to realize that it was each and every one of you that made it so. 

Your ability to share pieces of your life with me has made a difference; you are unforgettable. 

We all come from different walks of life, yet it is abundantly clear that all of us will walk off of this campus today with the desire to become a changemaker. Our world is composed of constant change but to us, that’s just another day in an “unprecedented” age – arguably our generation’s least favorite word and a simultaneous call to action. In all sincerity, we have the ability to shape our future. 

I encourage you to change majors or career paths as many times as you need to and to continue to listen for what calls to you, no matter how unattainable it all may seem. The next stage of our life is possibly the most exciting of all, simply because of how infinite our possibilities are. 

Do you want to discover the 119th periodic element? Do you want to become the first female president? Do you want to land on Mars? 

Wherever you find yourself next, I want to remind you that you are limitless, bound to nothing but where you want to go and what you seek. Become the protagonist of your own story.

To the class of 2023, I believe in you and all that we are capable of becoming. I hope to find that all of our paths cross again. 

Signing off with hope,

Nadia Razzaq

2023 Web Editor-in-Chief