Notes on Navigating Change Without Losing Your Light
A Letter to the Graduating Class of 2025 on Belonging, Becoming, and the Beauty of the Journey
To the Graduating Class of 2025,
Stepping out of school and into a world that often feels unpredictable can bring with it a sense of uncertainty, especially when it feels like you may not yet have all the answers or resources to meet what lies ahead. But I want you to remember this: every step of the way, you have an extended family—your alumni network and community. We are here to love you, support you, and remind you that you belong.
In a world that may at times try to diminish or discredit you, it is this network of care and connection that offers strength. You are not alone.
As you begin this new chapter, I hope you start to see life’s challenges not as roadblocks, but as stepping stones, each one guiding you toward becoming more grounded, more aware, and more whole. In a time when everything around us moves fast, and the future can feel uncertain, take time to find joy in the little things. Whether in your studies, your work, your friendships, or in the quiet spaces you create for yourself—may you discover meaning, and both inner and outer motivation to keep going.
And in all of it, don’t feel pressured to rush toward the next big thing. In the desire to prove yourself or to constantly showcase what you can offer, it’s easy to miss the depth of the present moment. There’s something powerful in pausing, in not immediately reacting, and in allowing yourself the grace to just be. Often, it is in that stillness that clarity emerges. Sometimes, taking a step back creates the space for the answers to come to you—softly, and in their own time.
As you move forward, be enterprising—not just in career or ambition, but in curiosity. Step into rooms where you may not yet know the language, and dare to learn it. Life outside school will offer you spaces where new associations are built—communities, friendships, mentors, and even quiet encounters that will challenge and shape you. Let these connections teach you how to be bolder, better, and more attuned. But always return to your roots. Stay close to what fuels your spirit—the art, the passion, the joy that gives your soul power. That is where your magic lies.
“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.”
— Carl Jung
Let us focus on what brings us together, rather than what sets us apart. Make space to reflect, to reconnect with nature, and with the stories that remind you of where you come from. Our shared histories are rich and profound—and so too are the individual journeys each of you will walk. Celebrate them all. May you explore the vastness of the world not only as something “out there,” but as something that lives within you—connecting all the pieces of your experience in ways both beautiful and meaningful.
And always remember: as an alum, there is space for you to return—to revisit, to reconnect, and to strengthen your roots. I love that for you.
There is beauty in difference, and strength in unity. And in both, there is space for you.
With warmth and solidarity,
Samridhi
