You have had a tumultuous college experience to say the least. As freshmen, you witnessed the election of one of our country’s most controversial presidents and a subsequent outpour of activism within the student body. Many of you marched alongside friends, family and millions of strangers worldwide in the first Women’s March. Four years later, this commitment to equity is more important than ever as you graduate into a pandemic and a recession — a time of unprecedented uncertainty.
Life at Hopkins has drastically changed throughout your time here. You were the last year to have covered grades, but you were also the last class to endure life in the AMRs without air conditioning. You’ve seen endings like the end of legacy admissions — and you’ve seen beginnings — such as the University’s newfound efforts to expand mental health resources. You watched as Hopkins received a historic $1.8 billion donation, announced the future student center and began implementing a private police force.
No one assumed that this year’s Commencement celebrations would be held virtually, that senior spring would be cut short, that graduating students would have to leave campus without saying goodbye. But if we’ve learned anything about the Class of 2020, it’s that you have the strength and intelligence to endure whatever comes next.
On behalf of The News-Letter, we wish you the best of luck as you embark on the next chapter of your life.
Rudy Malcom & Katy Wilner, Editors-in-Chief
Stephanie Lee, Magazine Editor