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Dear Class of 2025,

Since we anxiously clicked “check status update” and saw confetti explode on our computer screen, we’ve navigated the end of a global pandemic, historic campus unrest, and an unprecedented war on higher education. But as the nation’s eyes turned towards our campus, we’ve learned one thing: Uncertainty doesn’t define us — resilience does.

We moved into the Yard in Boston’s intense summer heat, wondering how we would possibly survive without air conditioning, and in the thick of a once-in-a-century pandemic. That year, we took Color tests three times a week and grabbed to-go meals from Baby ’Berg. We sat masked and a safe distance apart in EC10a, LS1a, and CS50, and didn’t see many of our peers’ faces until the spring.

And yet, we didn’t just survive — we thrived. We gathered in groups outside by the Charles, took advantage of Tasty Burger basement, and talked for hours over brunch in Annenberg. We made friends that quickly became like family, pandemic or not.

The next year, many of us experienced sophomore slump, tested not only by harder courses in our newly-declared concentrations but also by the wider world. We watched as the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, race-conscious admissions came to an end, and University President Lawrence S. Bacow stepped down.

For the first time, we saw that even Harvard is not immune to change. Still, we remained optimistic. We rallied for what we believed in, attending protests and supporting causes near to our hearts. And in the midst of it all, we found support and community in our new Houses as we tackled each other in intramural flag football, danced together on Quad lawn, and shared meals in the dining hall.

We probably thought our time at Harvard couldn’t get more eventful. We were wrong. Junior year, just as we were finding our footing, divisions consumed our campus, our classmates fell victim to a vicious doxxing campaign, and Claudine Gay resigned as University president.

We confronted the difficulties with having dialogue in the face of such fear, loss, resentment, and intimidation. But we refused to allow these challenges to stop us. We protested, voiced our convictions, and had tough conversations with our classmates and friends. Campus discourse was far from perfect, but we remained resilient and fought for our beliefs while striving to understand those who disagree.

This year, these events culminated in a war on higher education. As the government has cut billions of dollars in research funding and sought to compromise our institutional integrity, we stood proud as Harvard became the first university to fight back. As President Alan M. Garber ’76 wrote, “we stand for the values that have made American higher education a beacon for the world.” That we do.

Despite these difficult times, life has gone on. We’ve bonded with our class in these final weeks crawling through Cambridge bars, arranging flower bouquets, competing in spikeball tournaments, running 5Ks together, learning personal finance from professor David I. Laibson ’88, dancing like there’s no tomorrow, and chasing each other with spoons in a more than 500-member game of senior assassins.

Class of 2025, no one could have predicted the road we’d walk. But the resilience with which we’ve walked it speaks volumes.

As we depart campus at 2 p.m. tomorrow, we don’t just leave as classmates. We leave as a family bonded through hard times, yes, but also through fond memories — dorm-storming during Housing Day, late night essay writing at Lamont Cafe, and cheering proudly at Harvard-Yale. Although we will separate into different cities and careers, we will forever be connected by the crimson thread that weaves us together. As we go through life, we must never forget the memories or the family we’ve built together. We’ll be sharing these college stories with our kids one day.

Don’t forget college and the community you’ve built here. Show up for your friends, your family, and yourself, no matter what obstacles life throws at you. Say yes to adventures, making new memories and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone. Let’s all go out and do some good in the world.

Class of 2025, thank you for showing up today and saying yes to the experiences we all shared together. See you all at the five-year reunion!

With immense love and gratitude,

Uzma & Srija

Uzma A. Issa ’25 is a Neuroscience concentrator in Lowell House and First Marshal of the Class of 2025. Srija Vem ’25 is a Neuroscience concentrator in Quincy House and Second Marshal of the Class of 2025.