Dear High School Seniors,

I know this is was supposed to be our year. We dreamed about this year, and it looked NOTHING like what’s in front of us right now. That is how our lives began, too. We are the 9/11 babies, born amidst turmoil, nations on the brink of war. Our parents dreamed of what their and our lives would look like when we were born, but they weren’t given what they expected.

We were born to be strong. We were born to face hard challenges and overcome them. I truly believe no other graduating class would be able to take this as gracefully as we are. Don’t get me wrong, the other classes are/were/will be great! I just think we were meant to be the ones that overcome the biggest obstacles. We were made to be strong, so we will be exactly that.

It’s not easy. We’re stuck at home, without hope of being “released” anywhere in the foreseeable future. It feels like we’re going to be trapped at home forever, like our lives will never continue, like we will never find “normal” again. We worry about things like sports, prom, graduation, our senior trip, our summer activities, and we wonder about the status of all of them. We wonder if we’re going to see the teachers who made us who we are, or if we’re ever going to be able to hug our classmates goodbye and wish them luck in life.

Many people are going to tell you “it could be worse” or “your time will come, don’t worry about it”. Those people don’t understand. For 13 years, we have dreamed of our senior year: beating your school rival in football, the cringe homecoming music that you danced to anyway because you and your friends were determined to have fun, the spirit themes at the basketball games, the spring musical, trying out for a spring sport you haven’t played in 7 years because “it’s senior year, why not?”, FINALLY taking your crush to prom, picking your class colors, getting your cap and gown, walking through the hallways of the little schools, looking into the eyes of the kids who are dreaming about being where you are, baccalaureate, and commencement. That’s what we expected, dreamed of, hoped for, and DESERVED. For us, the dream ended with the basketball, and even that has yet to finish. We’ve lost our spring sports, watching the basketball MVP sign to their dream school, our prom, our celebration of finishing, our memory of walking that stage, shaking the hands of the people who got us where we are. We won’t get award ceremonies for our academic letters, we won’t get to hear our families scream for us as our name gets called. We have the right to be upset. One of the best moments in our lives has been stolen.

We need to remember to have each other’s backs. I’m sure all of us have cried about this. We still need to be there for one another. We are the only people who can help each other. Nobody else will understand. Nobody else will be able to share this moment of heartbreak with you. Reach out to the people who have been there for you for the past 13 years. The people who have witnessed your baby face, your “Disney channel outfit” phase, your puberty, your awkward phase, and your glow-up. Those are the people who will help you get through this, and they need you too.

You should also reach out to your teachers, tell them you love them, miss them, and thank them for their impact on your life. Without them, you wouldn’t be upset about missing out. They need you, too. They wanted you to have your moment to shine, and they worked hard to make sure you earned it.

So, seniors, here’s to us. Here’s to the kids who were born during 9/11, and will “graduate” during a global pandemic. We’re the strong ones. We’re the class of 2020. We’ve got this. I love you all, and my heart is broken for us. This is our story. We can make it beautiful.