LETTER FROM THE

Dear Graduates,

Congratulations on all your hard work to get to this moment!

It feels like just yesterday we were moving into the first-year residence halls and entering our firstyear seminar classes. I remember the anxiety and excitement I felt; the hopes held for the future.

Since then, about 1,356 more sunrises and sunsets have marked our time here at Pepperdine.

As we considered the theme of this Senior Edition, I was looking at my photo album and noticed the array of photos I had of the sun rising and setting in Malibu. They were mostly photos of sunsets, as I am not much of an early bird, but throughout my time here, I never got tired of these everyday occurrences.

Even during the pandemic, though we weren’t all on the Malibu campus, we observed the same sun passing through our different time zones. When I could not stand the blue light shining from my devices, it was this natural light and darkness that kept me going. Since returning to campus, admiring the sunsets and breathing in the early morning air to see the sun rise with friends has made me smile like no other.

So much living, changing and learning have happened since our first sunrise at Pepperdine. We have had our shares of joy, love, loss, anger and healing, exploring some of the most important questions about ourselves, others and the world at large. During times of chaos, injustice and heartbreak, I questioned how the sun could keep going about its normal route. But I have seen so many of us follow the sun’s same suit, laying our heads to rest and getting up again, day after day –together.

And I know, even though we will be separated once more, this is not the end of our journey together, but rather a continuation of our collective discoveries of meaning and belonging. The next time you look at the sun, may you look back on this moment of celebration fondly and soak in the warm rays once more to give you strength for the path ahead.

Emily Shaw (Seaver ’23) Senior Edition Editor