I recall my first dean meeting as a junior, sitting anxiously on a worn leather couch with my parents as I answered a slew of questions. “What are your academic goals? What do you do outside of school?” Those were easy enough. I couldn’t, however, come up with a response to the last one: “What do you want your legacy at Harvard-Westlake to be?”

I sometimes find myself reflecting back on that day, wondering why I had struggled so much to answer. Perhaps because the word “legacy” was too daunting. Walking past student-made sculptures in Feldman Horn, watching the (then senior) editors of Chronicle confidently navigate the chaos of a Saturday night layout, or buying pastries from a fundraiser on the Quad, I had come to equate it with grandeur. Though these surely inspired me, looking back at my time at Harvard-Westlake has made me realize that the definition of legacy didn’t have to be so limited. I can fondly recall countless moments when the community at Harvard-Westlake had profound, yet simultaneously subtle, impacts on myself: an upperclassman helping me find Munger 208 on my first day of school as a sophomore (I had mistaken it to be the library), my friends dragging me out for coffee after a stressful physics test, Phairot deciding not to charge me for my seventh Milano cookie. Every member of our school has the ability to build and contribute to a legacy here — the legacy of a community I am beyond grateful for and proud to be a part of.

Harvard-Westlake is often described as cutthroat, and many of us know all too well that description isn’t far from the truth. In a place where impact is often conflated with achievements and leadership positions, it is easy to forget that high school should be an experience filled with celebrating triumphs, learning from tribulations and most importantly, building bonds that will last after we have walked across the stage at Commencement. It is as true as it is cliche: it really is about the journey, not the destination. The people around us are integral to this journey, and I urge you to consider your own legacy within the community of Harvard-Westlake, big or small. To my fellow seniors, I hope we can continue this impact long after we have left this campus as we continue down our separate paths.