Class Note 2018
Issue
November-December 2020
Hey, ’18s! I hope you are all well. In these challenging times, I asked our class to share their thoughts to help capture this historic moment. So many of you shared your reflections that I don’t quite have enough space to feature them all in this brief column. Fortunately, the class executive committee will publish everyone’s submissions in full in our year-end newsletter. You will receive the newsletter in your email inbox, and I encourage you to read the heartfelt submissions inside. The trials of this time have impacted us all in different ways, but I was inspired to read your stories of self-reflection and, most importantly, hope.
Here are some quotes from the submissions we received. Please enjoy and look for the full stories in our upcoming newsletter.
Kihong Ahn described the importance of the Dartmouth community in these times, writing, “In light of recent events I realize how privileged I was to have the community I had at Dartmouth—people who wrote me letters while I was serving, people who texted me during the last couple of weeks, people who stayed good friends while I was at Dartmouth and while I was not. Dear class of 2018, I miss you dearly and wish all of you the best of luck with everything from the bottom of my heart.”
Liam Fortin wrote, “During the course of this lockdown I’ve kept returning to John Donne’s poem, ‘No Man is an Island,’ when he claims, ‘No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.’ The past few months have shown me community is not something I should take for granted, and my goal is to remember that as we exit this odd time.”
Sarahi Pineda described an amazing pandemic project, writing, “I finally managed to put together a T-shirt quilt using all my old Dartmouth T-shirts from trips, the house system, Homecoming, Winter Carnival, and all those random free shirts from freshman year. The quilt is a good reminder of how our old memories from Dartmouth can stay with us in the form of something new.”
An anonymous author writes, “Sometimes it feels like there’s no turning back and we should just give up on it all. We can’t, though. We need to hold each other accountable and make difficult choices. As long as we do our part to make sure that the next generation has it a little bit better than we do, I think we can afford to feel a little hope for the future.”
Another anonymous reflection reads, “Above all I tell myself to remain hopeful and optimistic every day. We can move past this, but only if we are willing to be a part of the change we wish to see and only if we refuse to rest until we have helped to make it a reality.”
Hassan Y. Hassen wrote, “We are dealing with things we never imagined, but I am confident that, by the grace of God, we will endure. The closing lines from ‘Don’t Quit’ by John Greenleaf Whittier ring especially true during these difficult times, ‘So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit—it’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.’ ”
As a final update, Maya Moten completed a two-year leadership development program and accepted a new position as a communications professional with the external communications team at her company. Congratulations, Maya!
Thank you to everyone who shared their reflections. I am grateful for this community of fellowship and hope and wish you all the best!
—Emily Choate, 172 Commonwealth Ave., Apt. 3, Boston, MA 02116; (603) 305-5346; eschoate@gmail.com
Here are some quotes from the submissions we received. Please enjoy and look for the full stories in our upcoming newsletter.
Kihong Ahn described the importance of the Dartmouth community in these times, writing, “In light of recent events I realize how privileged I was to have the community I had at Dartmouth—people who wrote me letters while I was serving, people who texted me during the last couple of weeks, people who stayed good friends while I was at Dartmouth and while I was not. Dear class of 2018, I miss you dearly and wish all of you the best of luck with everything from the bottom of my heart.”
Liam Fortin wrote, “During the course of this lockdown I’ve kept returning to John Donne’s poem, ‘No Man is an Island,’ when he claims, ‘No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.’ The past few months have shown me community is not something I should take for granted, and my goal is to remember that as we exit this odd time.”
Sarahi Pineda described an amazing pandemic project, writing, “I finally managed to put together a T-shirt quilt using all my old Dartmouth T-shirts from trips, the house system, Homecoming, Winter Carnival, and all those random free shirts from freshman year. The quilt is a good reminder of how our old memories from Dartmouth can stay with us in the form of something new.”
An anonymous author writes, “Sometimes it feels like there’s no turning back and we should just give up on it all. We can’t, though. We need to hold each other accountable and make difficult choices. As long as we do our part to make sure that the next generation has it a little bit better than we do, I think we can afford to feel a little hope for the future.”
Another anonymous reflection reads, “Above all I tell myself to remain hopeful and optimistic every day. We can move past this, but only if we are willing to be a part of the change we wish to see and only if we refuse to rest until we have helped to make it a reality.”
Hassan Y. Hassen wrote, “We are dealing with things we never imagined, but I am confident that, by the grace of God, we will endure. The closing lines from ‘Don’t Quit’ by John Greenleaf Whittier ring especially true during these difficult times, ‘So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit—it’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.’ ”
As a final update, Maya Moten completed a two-year leadership development program and accepted a new position as a communications professional with the external communications team at her company. Congratulations, Maya!
Thank you to everyone who shared their reflections. I am grateful for this community of fellowship and hope and wish you all the best!
—Emily Choate, 172 Commonwealth Ave., Apt. 3, Boston, MA 02116; (603) 305-5346; eschoate@gmail.com