Dear Archbishop Carroll,
I am taking this opportunity to thank you for the last four years of my life. Carroll has given me the best high school experience I could’ve asked for. Carroll has not only made the past four years of my life unforgettable, but it has given me what I feel is the best possible preparation for college and the rest of my life. Carroll has taught me to live with empathy and how to live for God and others. The 26 letters of the alphabet are nowhere near enough to express my unending gratitude for Carroll.
The teachers, teammates, friends, and brothers I met at Carroll have impacted me in ways ever stronger than a 14-year-old me would have dared to imagine. Each time I walked into that building, whether I felt it at the time or not, I always knew that teachers like Mr. Cummings, Mrs. Owens, and Mrs. Gimpel had my best interests in mind. The beautiful thing about Carroll is the selflessness fostered by these and countless others. Through their unseen work, many other young men whom I am now honored to call my brothers and I can aid each other in our development as men of family, community, faith, and virtue. The guys I have met at Carroll have changed my life forever. They have shown me that I am good enough and that being myself will bring me the most happiness. I now have nothing but confidence in myself and my abilities. I will take this mindset into next year studying at West Chester University. In the future, I intend to teach in a school just like Carroll.
My advice for the rising senior class is to be proud of your emotions instead of trying to be better than them. Allowing yourself to feel emotion is how you grow. If you hide from yourself and act like nothing is wrong, you won’t be able to grow. I advise you to do as much as possible at school next year. Even if it initially feels overwhelming, being the most involved that you can next year will make it the best year possible.
