Reflections and Images

  Hello everyone. My name is Vivian Hir and I am honored to give the salutatorian speech. I will attend MIT in the fall as a prospective chemical biology major. Before I begin my speech, I would like to thank all teachers in Quarry Lane that have helped me in high school and congratulate all members of this class for their achievements. Like most classmates, I can’t believe I was the same person four years ago when I entered the school as a shy freshman. When Dr. Pale asked me in biology class about what I wanted to study on the first day of school, my answer was neuroscience. I knew little about neuroscience, which showed that I was clueless in 9th grade. Even though I had no idea which academic subjects interested me at that time, Quarry Lane helped me develop my passion for STEM. From Chemistry Olympiad club sessions to afterschool Science Olympiad projects, these activities made me find beauty in the world of science. What I got from these experiences was a stronger desire ...

April 7th, 2021.  The green hill loomed over me. My mission was to climb the hill. It was not a special hill or anything. There were many hills that dotted my surroundings.  I simply wanted to climb the hill as it was one of my items on my bucket list before I headed off to college.  In the beginning, climbing the hill was a piece of cake. A few minutes later, I realized that I didn't consider how much energy and time climbing the hill required. Although I ultimately became closer to the peak, it felt like I never really made it to the peak. It reminded me of the rainbow phenomenon in which you will never be close to the rainbow no matter how far you run to the rainbow.  When I approached the peak of the hill, I stopped and stood to view my surroundings. I saw thousands of tiny houses that dotted the surrounding green hills. I felt like I was in a state of awe because that day was so beautiful. The sky was blue and sun rays shone on me. The town felt so peaceful and ...