From Mercy to the next chapter
Sydney Marquette
As we begin to write the finale of this chapter in our book of life, it’s time to start brainstorming the next chapter, one that is filled with college, internships, work, exciting new experiences and even new burdens we can’t yet imagine. Staring into the face of this impossible monster named “the future” may cause writer’s block for some and tempt others to stop trying. I myself have succumbed to this writer’s block on my beautiful journey through life, but a little song by Jack Johnson called “Upside Down” tends to keep me motivated to keep moving along.
Some of you may have heard this song, but for those who haven’t, it was featured in the 2006 blockbuster hit, “Curious George.” While the nature of this song is very cliché and childish, it must include some pretty important lessons if its target audience is as young as three years old. The song begins with the line, “Who’s to say what’s impossible.” As we begin to adventure out into the world we will come face-to-face with the world’s overall negativity and desire to drag people down, but during those moments we have to realize that as young, intelligent women, we have the ability to accomplish anything we are willing to work toward. No matter how much we question our own capabilities, only we can define what’s impossible. No matter how often others may doubt us, only we can persevere through our own writer’s block and illustrate the future of our dreams.
So what happens after you break through the writer’s block and decide to tackle the monster that is the future? Well, you pick up a pen and you create the life that you want. The song continues, expressing, “Who’s to say I can’t do everything / Well I can try.” Once you decide on your life goals and plans that you would like to include in your next chapter of life, it’s up to you to work as hard as you can toward those goals. Statistically, you are more likely to achieve a goal if you work toward more of them, so don’t limit yourself and the number of your dreams simply because someone didn’t believe in you.
And don’t limit yourself because you don’t believe in you. Life can get extremely complicated and crazy, but if you want this next chapter in your book of life to be exciting to write and entertaining to read, then you have to follow your heart. Your heart may tell you anything from “get big on Wall Street” to “get through this homework assignment.” Whatever dream makes you excited to wake up in the morning deserves to be shared with those surrounding you and the entirety of the world, so go ahead and add that plotline into your book of life, and just see where it takes you.
Like the song says, “this world keeps spinning and there’s no time to waste,” so we have to cherish every second of our lives and follow our dreams, accomplish our goals, make positive memories and create the world that we aspire to see. I hope we are all able to leap into this new chapter of our lives with few limitations, but when those setbacks eventually arise, just remember that you are the only one who has power over your attitude and determination to write the future you desire. So go give the world all you’ve got! Because what’s the best that could happen?
Mercy is a family for students
Zoë Brown
The time has come for all of us to part ways and continue on with the next chapters of our lives. As you close one door and open another, it is important to remember that you will always have your Mercy family. We, as a class, have been with each other through the good and not-so-good times. We survived school in a pandemic. As I look at all of our class today, it is truly inspiring to see how each and every one of us has grown into adults who are ready to conquer our new beginnings in life. Although at times it might have felt like the waves continued to crash down on us, whether that was adjusting to the high school environment, going to school in a pandemic or something else in our personal lives, we made it. We survived the storm and now can enjoy the rainbow.
Four years ago, we were all freshmen entering a new phase in our lives, high school. We were all learning to navigate the ins and outs. Being put into a new environment was exciting, and with anything that is new, it also had its challenges. But we persevered, as women of Mercy do, and we cherished those freshman moments and learning experiences. As sophomore year came around, we started to become more comfortable with one another and blossom into our own personalities. Then COVID-19 hit, but we still showed up every single day, even if it was on a screen. As sophomore year came to a close and COVID-19 felt like it would never end, we continued on. Junior year came, and although we were not all together, we lifted one another up and inspired each other to grow, create and challenge ourselves. Toward the end of junior year, that light began to show through as the sun does through the clouds after a storm. As the clouds cleared and the storm blew over we started to return to some sort of normalcy. And as senior year came along, we were lucky enough to grow, create and challenge ourselves all together in person.
As we look back on our years together and apart, it is not only inspiring, but also bittersweet to see the adults we have grown into. And although we say goodbye to putting on our senior sweatshirts every day, sitting in each other’s cars before school and proudly chanting our class cheer, I think we can say that we are prepared and ready for our new chapter in life. We would not be the wonderful adults we are today without the teachers who pushed us to do better, the classmates who extended a helping hand when we needed it most and most importantly the irreplaceable friendships we made along the way. As we step off the Mercy campus as students for the last time and go our separate ways, always remember that you will have your Mercy family. And when life brings you challenges, remember that a flower needs rain in order to blossom.
Students find an empowered sisterhood at Mercy Academy
Kaci Mundorf
We may be one of the most unique classes Mercy has ever seen. A group of young women who came in as nervous freshmen, left for spring break and did not return sophomore year, endured a challenging hybrid junior year and rewrote history as seniors.
Every class to ever pass through these halls had their own energy and label that they will be remembered by. I tried to think about what ours will be. The word which comes to mind is empowered. We are persistent, confident, fabulous and empowered young women who seldom take no for an answer.
Our Student Council theme this year is a quote by Michelle Obama with a slight twist to incorporate our Mercy family. It reads: “There is no limit to what we, as women of Mercy, can accomplish.”
This is an accurate depiction of the class of 2022. There is so much potential, and I have so much faith in these young women to go out into the world and do such amazing things.
We have all contributed in some way over the last four years to leave a lasting mark on Mercy. I think the most special role I have taken is the opportunity to be a classmate, friend and supporter to my 130 fellow Mercy sisters. “Sisterhood” is a cliché term, but it is a true statement and one I believe we each carry in our hearts.
We also learned how to use our voices to raise awareness, debate and create change. We have persisted through many long and exhausting morning meetings, extremely long Friday classes, what at times seemed like never-ending lectures and handled our fair share of disappointments together.
However, I don’t believe those “bad” moments could ever take away the essence of this Mercy sisterhood and the values we share. I hope that we all can see the value in those challenges and recognize how this beautiful campus, this second home, has shaped our lives in a positive and transformative way.
Mercy takes great pride in being a STEM school. But I would argue that with or without the official title, this academy has and always will be a “stem” school — only using a slightly different acronym. A STEM school of strong, tenacious, empowered, merciful young women!
We are about to leave this safe place and embark on a scary new journey. I challenge you to look toward the future with complete confidence knowing we are all women capable of accomplishing amazing things.
At the end of the day, there is truly no limit to what we, as women of Mercy, can do. Go out and show the world just how powerful you are. And never forget that you are beyond capable of dominating whatever comes your way in the future. No matter where life takes us, you will always have this campus as your home and these classmates as your sisters.
