When I think of these past four years at Arcadia High School, I think of sundaes: a special dessert earned to celebrate such a special four years. A sundae reflects the work of the families, friends, teachers, and mentors who have added to my life and made me the very person I am today. 

Let’s start with the base: rich, velvety ice cream. I find it hard to believe that I will be the second person in my family to graduate from an American high school. But not just any high school, from Arcadia High School. As a proud Californian, I am always reminded when I visit other places how blessed I am to have grown up in the sanctuary of Arcadia, California. Sheltered we are, yes, and Arcadia—with approximately a 60% Asian population, sure is unique. It’s got its quirks and shortcomings, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. When I think of my ice cream, I think: simple. My base is grounded, homey, and nurtured. I think of my grandfather who made a living selling recyclables on the streets of Liaoning to keep his family afloat. I think of my parents who came to the United States twenty years ago with close to nothing in their pockets. The simple, vanilla base of my ice cream is something I will savor, for years and years to come. Today, I shine with the final sweetness that encapsulates the collective journey of those who have churned, and churned, and churned, the ice cream that I get to cherish. 

The ice cream that makes up my sundae was by no means simple (with a fair share of “rocky roads”), but I, alongside my senior class, have prevailed. To my ice cream, I add my individuality: my sprinkles. Unique in every way, the sprinkles showcase the idiosyncrasies of each sundae. I like my sprinkles blue (my favorite color and college theme), crescent-shaped (the shape of a leaping dolphin—my favorite animal, and cashews, to which I am allergic), and (w)hole-y (open to life’s endless possibilities). 

George Washington, our first president and an avid ice cream lover, said, “The harder the conflict, the greater the triumph.” Four years ago, I entered high school by turning on my camera for online school. I’ll be the first to admit: half of the time, I’d only get properly dressed from the waist up. It was hard to fathom I would be one day returning to in-person school, let alone graduating with the memories of 2020 TikTok, at-home workouts, and the anxieties of accidentally being unmuted like one jumbled fever dream. My classmates and I have overcome great challenges, and together, we have triumphed. Jeff Furman, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Board Chairman, said, “Our learning journey is continuous, and it must lead to activism. The struggle now is to make the roots deeper and firmer so we can be more effective.” This is what it’s all about: to take what we’ve learned, go out into the world, and be more effective. 

Today, I am a vanilla-swirled mint chocolate chip ice cream, generously doused with blue, crescent-shaped sprinkles. Some of my friends are double-chocolate malted crunches. Others might be vanilla. Perhaps sorbet flavors. But we are all united at the base, sprinkle in our individuality, and most importantly: each and every one of us deserves a cherry on top. As I reflect, I can’t help but marvel at all the decadent, heavenly, and irresistible sundaes I’ve completed these past four years alongside.