Dear Class of 2022,

Writing this letter—a letter that editors of The Maroon have written for decades—hurts more than expected. The Class of 2022 ushered us into the magical, masochistic, and downright messy world that is UChicago. You were the savvy second-years who introduced reality to the fantasy written by When Harry Met Sally, U.S. News & World Report, and the admissions office. Nevertheless, you showed us the secrets to enjoying our time here, to finding community and causes worth fighting for. It’s hard to imagine this campus without you, but we know that it’s time for us to share you with the rest of the world.

While no piece of writing could ever encapsulate the totality of your time here, we’ve tried to capture snapshots of the Class of 2022. We hope this graduation issue takes you back to first year and makes you excited about your future. Years from now, we hope this issue will serve as a souvenir of sorts, something to transport you back to now.

We would be remiss not to specifically thank the amazing graduating class of Maroon staffers. Your leadership sustained and guided this paper through the dark times of the pandemic. In the absence of our Ida Noyes office, you built community across time zones not only to keep the paper together but to grow it. You covered everything under the sun and uncovered uncomfortable truths. Thank you to Adyant, Ruby, and Matt—our 2021–22 slate—as well as every other graduating Maroon staff member for ensuring that generations of journalists to come will have a space to share their stories.

With that, and maybe with some teary eyes, we say goodbye for now. We would wish you luck, but we know you don’t need it.

With graditude,

Yiwen Lu, managing editor, and Gage Gramlick, editor-in-chief