As the school year comes to a close, my time at Brewster is also coming to an end. Reflecting back on so many years, I have to say, I’m glad I was a Brewster Bear.

I remember walking through the doors of JFK Elementary School on my first day of kindergarten, watching all the teachers waving and so happy to see us for the first time. I felt so welcomed and I was able to make so many new friends and connections that stuck with me for the whole ride. All of my elementary school teachers were so kind, thoughtful, and caring. They provided me with a great experience, made lasting impacts, and most importantly gave me the best education. If I did not have those teachers as a foundation, I would not be where I am today.

I’ve been a part of so many clubs and activities throughout the years. Whether it was music related, swimming, or any other school clubs, they all gave me the opportunity to be involved in our school’s community. Music was a huge part of my time here at Brewster. I’ve played for countless events, concerts, shows, parades, you name it. It took a lot of time to practice and prepare for everything, but being a part of these events helped me pursue my favorite hobby. Especially, since I’ve had wonderful directors that have supported my music journey in so many ways. Thinking back to my many performances, my favorite one was being in the pit orchestra for the school productions. Even though these were the longest rehearsals, I had so much fun doing it. Playing music for such a huge audience and having performers fly right over my head was such an experience. It also helped my overall playing abilities because of prolonged practice time, but most importantly, I got to make music with my friends (and get free dinner every night).

Being on the varsity swim team was also a highlight of my high school (and middle school) career. It felt like we were one huge family that supported each other in and out of the pool. As senior captain, I got the experience of learning what it’s like to coach and create practice sets for everyone. I also became familiar with other valuable skills like team management, merch designing, and leadership. I realized that being on varsity did not just mean getting the fastest time in all of my events, but it meant creating strong bonds with my teammates and experiencing important lessons that would help prepare me for the future. As someone who’s been on this team for 5 years, I also made so many life long memories. For example, the late night bus rides from away meets, the McDonald’s stops, homecoming/pep rally, and the bake sale were special. Being a part of this amazing team, made high school a little bit more bearable.

I am so grateful for all of the opportunities that I have been provided with. I will definitely miss all of my peers and the teachers that have supported me, but I am excited to move on to the next chapter of my life. Thank you Brewster.