By Jai Midha ’27
I know that the middle of winter term is often gruesome, but at Choate, there is so much to be happy about.
Every day, we see our peers, friends, teachers, and faculty together, spending time and having fun wherever we look. It is the sound of their laughter and the smile on their faces that brings me joy. To see people enjoying one another’s presence is a unique and beautiful part of Choate.
The School’s warm and embracing culture nurtures the next generation of kind, loving, compassionate change-makers. We are making important memories here: memories of laughter in cozy dorms, of bright chatter in buzzing classrooms, of the solace found on those late-night walks, or of the relief upon realizing you have no homework due the next day.
You can find happiness anywhere, and only you can decide whether to be happy or not. While moments can foster happiness, surrendering things holding us down can also lighten the mood. However, “necessary evils” are required to achieve happiness. To fully understand the value of and be grateful for what happiness can bring, we must bear the sadness, pain, and disappointment that comes with facing hardships. As Whitney Houston sang, “To taste the sweet, I face the pain.”
I find happiness in the pages of a good book on a Sunday night, knowing that I’ve completed the day’s work. For my roommate, happiness might be reading poetry. Even when times are at their hardest, you can find happiness by making snow angels in the Choate fields when they are blanketed in snow, or by running around with your friends in the pouring rain. Either way, everyone can discover something that brings them joy. I implore you to try new hobbies, do something merely for the sake of fun, or explore new aspects of Choate because you never know what can and will make you happy.
By Aria Ramnath ’24
As I reflect upon what has made me most happy at Choate, I find myself looking back on the memories I’ve made these past four years.
I can still recall my first day of in-person classes in my third-form year when I somehow ended up in Getz Auditorium instead of my Contemporary Issues class. I remember spending every afternoon of my fourth-form spring in Archbold, lying on my best friend’s dorm room floor. And of course, I will never forget the late nights I spent on FaceTime with my friends, studying into the wee hours of the morning.
However, every time my mind travels back to these memories, I am left feeling oddly heartbroken. It is quite sad to watch my Choate years slip through my fingers, so, I’ve started to focus on the present.
With each day that passes, I find myself experiencing more and more core memories. For example, the infamous night of senior sledding — packed together with my friends on a sled, we glided down the ice in joy and terror.
I have also found happiness sitting in the senior section, a tradition that I believe is wonderfully conducive to inter-grade comradery and senior spirit. Not only do I obviously enjoy eating with my closest friends, but I also love finding students from different cliques sitting and chatting together. Most notably, I once found myself eating in a Tuck Shop booth with gamer Joy Gao ’24, football recruit Remo Marcaccio ’24, and violin prodigy Shawn Yang ’24 (quite the group!).
My early Choate memories, the kindness amongst my senior class, and the knowledge that I will be attending college in the fall all fill me up with bittersweet happiness. Be sure to catch me crying at graduation!
