By Aaron Boehlert

This summer was one for the books. Going into IB2, it was my last in between years at the College. It began, as all things good, with a palette cleanser: exams, which we all have to suffer through in the upper school. I cleared the bulletin board above my desk and pinned up a single photo of the beach in the weeks prior, which served as both my inspiration and my motivation. When I finally laid my oversized towel on the warm sand of the beach and felt the salty breeze of the Atlantic, it was all worth it. There were several other components of my summer: a few late nights in Spain, a power outage caused by a hurricane which shall remain nameless, and a couple of adventures in Manhattan. But it is my first day at our summerhouse that surmises my experiences this season. Moving into my final year at UCC, I often have cause to reflect and look forward, but it was experiencing the moment that I learned this summer. So, as we begin again, let us maintain our inspiration, our motivation, but never take for granted the great moments that shape us. With that knowledge and outlook, I enter IB2.