A Letter from the Senior Class President
Before the coronavirus pandemic, Madison Olsen, the president of the Class of 2020, was scheduled to address her classmates and gathered friends and family at Commencement on May 9. Now that we’re all sheltering in place, the ceremony has been moved to October. Maddy will be speaking then, but has also reached out to members of the class in writing. Her letter follows.
To the Class of 2020:
As I sit here trying to write a letter to you all, I am still struggling to find the right words to say. All I know is that this is far from the message I expected to deliver to you all during the last week of our college career. This is far from the final spring semester of college any of us anticipated having.
These past few weeks have been very reflective ones for me. Lately, I have been finding myself thinking a lot about our time as Keene State Owls. I remember it very clearly - moving into our on-campus res halls to begin our college careers. It feels like just yesterday that we were saying goodbye to our families on the Fiske Quad and being swooped away to begin the Orientation program. Little did I know that this would be the beginning of everything. I did not know that I would find my passions, build a home away from home, and meet my forever friends. I also did not know that it would end as quickly as it started.
COVID-19 aside, the Keene State College Class of 2020 will go down in history. Throughout these four years, our class has experienced a lot. We witnessed two presidential election processes and met way too many candidates. We watched our very own amazing President Treadwell get inaugurated. We were the first students to live in The Commons residence hall. We experienced clown sightings and the return of the Pumpkin Festival. And the one that I am most proud of is that we raised over $6,000 for our local suicide prevention organization through pub crawl.
We did so much during our time together, but if we had known that the weeks before Spring Break would be our last, we would have taken more photos, given more hugs, and made a few more memories. Despite it all, this class has shown the world how to handle historic challenges and adversity with courage and grace. Keene State has prepared us to face life’s hurdles head-on. We have learned to lead, question, and innovate. Because of Keene State, we are ready to start the next chapter of our lives, whatever that may look like. This world needs you - now more than ever.
Even though we cannot be together in person, this is still a time to be proud of all that we have accomplished. Not only did we complete our college careers, but we did it during the most historically challenging time in modern history. That really is something to celebrate, and I cannot wait to do it all together in person on October 3. For now, be proud of yourself, take care of others, and stay safe.
With love and pride,
Madison Olsen
Class of 2020 President
