Dear Class of 2025,

Welcome to Wake Forest! These next few years of your life will fly by quickly and reach highs and lows far beyond your expectations. I am so jealous that you will experience four entire years of tradition and joy as my final year at Wake Forest begins.

I realize that this is the first of many advice-ridden letters that this issue contains. But let it be said that I am the oldest — and potentially sappiest — member of this editorial team, so I have earned my spot at the top of the tearful advice pyramid — and here I shall remain.

I do not want to sound like a nagging mother or a cliche-ridden journalist, but when I say lean into each moment and experience as if it were both your first and last, do it. Romanticize every Pit breakfast, learn to love the way the humid North Carolina air makes your hair four times its normal size, talk to your professors about things outside their class, ask that person on a date, run in the rain through Reynolda trails, go to every football game you can, eat Elizabeth’s on the quad and smile at every person you see walking to class.

I would be remiss not to mention that Wake Forest is not an institution without flaws, however. Perfection is not attainable — it never has been —  but progress is. Do not be afraid to criticize Mother so Dear. If you see something that can be improved, altered or done away with, speak up. Wake Forest exists as the institution it is today because of changemakers like you and me. After all, to lead is to do. So do good, speak your mind and promote equity and inclusion in all ways — but don’t forget to smell the roses after planting them.

This school is what you make of it. So make it yours. Step outside of your comfort zone and lean into the traditions that Wake Forest has to offer. Soon, you will be in my shoes, looking back over the past few years with mixed feelings of gratitude and sadness. I am grateful that I have been shaped by Wake Forest, as I have grown into a version of myself who I am delighted to be. But I am sad that my time at Wake Forest is slowly coming to an end.

Cherish every moment and make every memory that you can. This school is a magical place and there are adventures around every corner — you just have to look.

Go Deacs!

Alexandra Karlinchak