“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”

-Oscar Wilde

This quote has had the pleasure of gracing nearly every email I’ve sent since the middle of sixth grade, when changing your email quote regularly was a way to make a statement. I’ve spent a lot of time sending emails without noticing my signature at the bottom until recently, when I gained a new understanding of what the quote itself could mean.

As the school year comes to an end, it might seem like we’ve spent a third of it simply existing, like our days spent at home with our families, confined to our rooms doing homework haven’t really meant much. And with the prospect of social distancing continuing well into the year 2020, it can be easy to be pessimistic about what the future holds. But I argue that this year, a year deemed the year of existing by many, can actually prove to be one of the most influential years in our lives. This goes especially for the class of 2021; we must not forget to take advantage of the historical time through which we’re living.

Yes, our senior year will look like no other. We’ll most likely be on campus at different times and will run to greet each other, only to remember the masks we wear on our faces, and back away slowly. Who knows – our free periods may even be spent at home or largely off campus, and we’ll be constantly aware of the people we’ve interacted with. But these changes bring great flexibility. not only will our schedule and our classes have to adapt to fit the evolving landscape of our new normal, but we’ll have to change the way we think and act. From the beginning of the year – with devastating Australian wildfires that made many reevaluate their actions against climate change – to now, with protests surrounding police brutality and our country’s racist history erupting all over the U.S., nothing about 2020 has been ordinary. The extraordinary nature of this year alone suggests that the things we can do with it will be even more impactful.

I challenge you, CA students – and especially my peers in the class of 2021 – to take a look at the world around you. What can we change for the better? How can we view radical, national change – such as changes that will be enacted by the strength of the Black Lives Matter movement – and implement it at CA? We’re so incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity, even if it doesn’t seem exciting right now. So take advantage of it, make your mark in our community, and begin your year of living.