Tough times molded our class as we charged ahead

stories of personal fulfillment are fleeting and rare to come by.

Maybe it was planning a really successful event on campus, or it could just be passing Dr. Bernard’s class. I don’t know how you overcame these challenges, but I am willing to bet that you didn’t sit idly hoping everything would come together on its own. Instead, you pushed yourself to your limits and operated outside of your comfort zone.

Nobody wants to do that, and not many people try to challenge themselves, fearing they’ll be caught in the dragging sensation of discomfort. As a class, however, we’ve entered the troublesome world of college before most others our age. We have juggled incalculable responsibilities and hardships as JECA students. And as a result, our “tolerance” for these types of discomfort is uncannily high.

We don’t often think about how amazing we are at handling challenges because it’s what we’ve been busy doing since we first stepped on campus. Our achievements leading up to today have exemplified that, and we’re all stronger because of that perseverance.

Here’s another thing about us: We are foolish. It’s not the “oh, crap, I forgot my MLA heading” type of foolish. Rather, we are the fools who blindly navigated the unknown in search of greater opportunities. We embraced the ambiguity of life and strove for success. Only a fool would be willing to give up a more leisurely high school experience and commit four years of their life toward a goal they may not reach.

We had no idea what was in store for us our freshman year. Failure is not an option at JECA; the stakes are high. Only a fool would risk that level of failure.

Our obligation to complete the TSI was a stress that only grew as limited attempts accrued. We heard anecdotes of the despair and agony that afflicted ill-prepared juniors. Lady Fortune kept spinning her wheel to determine who the next departing teacher would be. Heck, the entirety of JECA and everything it stood for was almost compromised. Nevertheless, we persisted in our foolhardy course.

Many of us did not know why we continued down this path or what it was that we were chasing after so desperately. Yet, we worked diligently through these four arduous years, even if our futures were uncertain. We took this road because it meant a chance at a brighter tomorrow. Fortune favors the bold.

By opening JECA’s doors, we discovered the limitless potential within ourselves for growth and success, and we made the most out of it through unwavering willpower.

At this point, I would like for you guys to look to your left and then to your right. If we weren’t quarantined, our classmates would be by our sides. ( Just in case you all forgot). We would see the feelings of nostalgia and joy wash over their faces, reflecting on all the time we spent together.

In a way, our classmates’ growth is a reflection of our own. The time we spent together creating study guides, when we listened to each other whine about midterms, when we comforted one another during stressful times. Those were the moments that molded us.

We were kids then, but now we are quickly becoming young adults. Many of us sitting at home may be feeling flutters of fears — a sense of doubt. All of us, however, are capable of charging headfirst into this brand new chapter in our lives.

Will this new life be easy? Maybe; some of us will receive more bruises and even scars than others, but has a couple of marks ever killed anyone? Besides, battle scars echo the vigorous conquering of one’s fierce past. Some of you may fall harder than others, but you’ll pick yourselves up, learn and grow. We all do.

This small class of ours has gone through hell and back, and yet we were relentless, even confronting obstacles many would call foolish. We’ve experienced pain from frustrating changes in faculty to a global pandemic — to even the loss of a beloved friend. We have carried the weight of the world on our backs, and I am so proud to have been able to call myself one of your classmates.

We’re all finally able to celebrate this accomplishment — four years in the making. We deserve this.

Duy Ha: “We discovered the limitless potential within ourselves for growth and success, and we made the most out of it through unwavering willpower.”