Letter From the Editor

Caitlyn Mason

I keep waiting for all this to set in, the goodbyes and the lasts and the ‘next four’s. But the truth is, I don’t think it’s going to. I think I will be tossing a graduation cap in the air three weeks from now and still be thinking, “shoot, we have school tomorrow.” But we won’t, at least not here, and I’m still not sure what too make of that. And I’ll be the first to say that senior year (all of high school, really) has often felt like running on fumes. I’ll be the first to say that sometimes, I just want to go home at 2 P.M. like other schools, and sometimes, I wish this place wasn’t a half-hour drive away. But I’ll also be the first to say that I would not be where I am today if it weren’t for OCSA and the people in it.

The one thing I think we can agree on is that we’ve all outgrown this place, as much as it has offered us. But whether you’ve been here for two years or six years, whether high school was the time of your life or your worst nightmare, I want you to know that there is a world beyond the walls of the Tower, beyond 10th Street, beyond everything you know now. And though that world might scare you, I hope you’ll look back one day at your time here and remember when your world once consisted of seven buildings. I hope you’ll realize how much you’ve grown since then.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared, because there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that I will be approximately 2,800 miles away from everything I’ve ever known. But the good news is that I will be approximately 2,800 miles away from everything I’ve ever known. It’s an opportunity to take with me the things I love and leave behind the things I should have left long ago. Take that opportunity, whatever it looks like for you. Go by the name you always wanted to be called. Try food you never thought you’d try. Do things you love, and do them unapologetically. You can face this new world, whatever it looks like.

On behalf of everyone here at Evolution, but especially myself, thank you for reading this paper. Thank you for doing the crosswords, for poring over the articles, for trying the recipes. I’m so beyond grateful to have been part of Evolution the past two years. And while we’re talking about new beginnings, I am so excited to pass this paper off to Melody Wu in the fall. I know she’ll do a wonderful job as the new Editor-In-Chief.

So long, Reader. As Taylor Swift once said, “next chapter.”

All love,

Caitlyn