Class of 2025: Celebrating Their Newly Blazed Trails

The Class of 2025 will be remembered by their mentors, leaders, and community as a spirited, opinionated, self-aware, collaborative, hard-working, and motivated group of students. “One of the things I love about this group,” Upper School Director Matt Lai shared, “...is that you have a unique voice, and you know how to use it.”

While they were an excitable bunch prone to hijinks and other high school fun, they knew how to come together in times of hardship. When they were asked to describe themselves during their senior retreat at the beginning of the academic year, they shared many positive attributes and compared their class to "a field of flowers."

Student speaker Darcey E. '25 highlighted the impact of Upper School Science Faculty Cecile Meister, who was the chosen by the students to give the Commencement Address. “Cecile taught us to be curious, patient, and brave enough to keep asking questions, even when the answers don’t come easily,” said Darcey. 

The beloved teacher emphasized the importance of educators and likened their roles to the mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell, as they are also the driving force behind students’ education. Percy also shared the unforgettable moments that began with the inspirational faculty and how they’ve prepared the seniors for their next chapter.

“Now, you are on the precipice of graduation, soon to earn the title of Bush alumn,” said Percy. “Over four years, you have spent time solving complex mathematical equations, traveling to new continents, building friendships, searching for Chat GPT workarounds, sharing answers to that chemistry test with your best friend, and learning confusing verb tenses in your world language classes that you thought were useless. 

You may wonder if the world still holds the same sense of possibility that it did for students who graduated in the 1980s and 1990s. Of course, it does, and your teachers have the same faith in you to build it.”

The Class of 2025, which included eighteen "Lifers" —students who attended all thirteen years at Bush —commemorated their transition to the next phase of their lives at various colleges and universities worldwide. As they begin blazing their new trails, they hold the advice their peer speakers and mentors have shared close to their hearts.