Members of the Class of 2012:

This summer I had the opportunity to work in New York, one of the biggest cities in the world. The big city life was completely different from the small town life that we have become accustomed to here at Elon.

Elon, a school of roughly 5,000 students, seems miniscule compared to a city like New York. In the city, at times I felt uncomfortable. I was seeing many faces, most of which I had never seen before and will never see again. This was different than the close knit community that we have learned to love at Elon.

There was one nice summer day when I was walking down the New York streets and got stopped by a stranger. This stranger put his or her hand on my shoulder and used his or her other hand to point to my shirt. I was wearing an Elon T-shirt.

This stranger explained to me that he or she graduated from Elon several years ago, and immediately without anything more being said, this stranger turned into a friend. It was at that moment that I realized that even in such a big city, with millions of people, there are still connections that can be made. We bonded over our Elon experiences.

We talked about the Elon lifestyle, which teachers were still there and our paths that we plan to take in the upcoming years. This person made me feel comfortable in a city in which I knew no one. We connected through our appreciation for Elon, and that is an appreciation that I do not believe will die any time soon.

No matter where we go, no matter how big or small the city or community that we live in, we will always be connected to Elon. The people that we met here, the friends that we made and even the people who were here before us are all interconnected in a web that cannot be described with words. Elon is our home, and we may move to other parts of the world, but Elon is the one bond that connects us all for the rest of our lives.

Remember that as you venture out onto your own journeys. Stay connected to each other and never forget the school that you came from. Be brave, be adventurous and be proud of Elon. Our school has served us well.

All the best,

Taylor Martin Senior Class President