By Rachel Houng
I can’t even lie, I am so sentimental - I almost wish I wrote these all in one day because I feel like I wrote so much. If given the opportunity, I’m sure I would be able to even keep on writing. I’m going to miss The Chariot so incredibly much. I’m so thankful for each and every one of your contributions to the club. I truly do wish only the best for you. (I also don’t think I reread ANY one of these).
Kristen Schneider: Thank you for including color and life into the paper, it is the efforts that you helped to make that made the paper what it was. I appreciate how you made yourself available when we were struggling to take on the work we needed to accomplish. I wish we had the opportunity to get closer because you seem like a very cool, chill person. Best of luck in everything you hope to accomplish. HAGS (Have a great summer).
Sabeena Ramdarie: Thank you for your bright energy all the time and helping to keep the cartoonists on track. I love having you in the artists meeting and the times you took popping into layout. I truly admire your artistry and you are so skilled. Please keep creating art. You have continuously inspired me in AP-2D and when I virtually saw your artwork on Google Classroom. I really hope you do pursue art in the future in any capacity. I truly appreciate how bright you are and the smiles you provide me. The energy you bring is truly unparalleled. You have always been such a great communicator and it has been such a great help. You have always worked with me and encouraged me to help provide the artists with everything they can do to flourish. I am sorry about the short deadlines that we set up occasionally, thank you for coping with it! When I say lifesaver, I MEAN lifesaver. I love looking back on our time in home and carers and how far we’ve just grown. I wish you truly only the best. HAGS
Debarati Chowdhury: I appreciate everything that you have done for Instagram and the presence you bring to the room. I absolutely adore your outfits and your makeup, I look forward to what you will wear every time that I see you. I truly love the unique style you have in your artwork, the color you have and the passion that you possess. I loved hearing about your diverse passions and how you have an unshakeable moral compass. I truly believe you will work to improve the world while having the time to pursue art, theater, music, and so much more. HAGS.
Sam Tsui: Sam, you are truly one of the funniest people I have ever met. I think you have such a unique personality and I don’t know if I would be able to accomplish everything that you do. The fact that you were able to manage design for the yearbook in addition to constantly communicating with us about the photos for each issue. I am so thankful for the last minute requests that you picked up and all the trouble you went to for the perfect picture. I really do hope that we keep in touch because I honestly love hearing about every single thing that you are able to accomplish. Also, you literally downplay every single thing that you accomplish so much. From the yearbook to your English final, everything that you have done ends up a piece of art. Your willingness to broaden your horizons is something that constantly inspires me to do better no matter what the topic is. I’m so excited to see what you will end up doing in the future and I hope we can do another escape room soon. I think I’ll genuinely miss you so much and honestly I already do from the limited amount of time that we see each other already. It’s insane that we have known each other since the 7th grade and that we’re just constantly able to reconnect. HAGS.
Shadia Zayer: To start off, I feel like I have to talk about your outfits because they always look so good. Your makeup too. Your haircut also suits you so well. You are such a silent but profound artist. I truly am unable to comprehend how you manage to do it all. I love the bright energy that you have and you truly have the brightest smile. I love your unique art style, my jaw constantly drops at every artwork you manage to complete. I really liked the artwork for the February issue for Lunar New Year. The intricate designs you were able to draw were always incredible. You truly add so much color to the paper and I hope you understand how integral your artwork was to making the paper great. I’ll truly miss the moments I spent looking for what you were wearing or any artwork you made. I wish you only the best of luck. HAGS.
Anna Detke: Anna, you have the brightest smile ever. I think you are such a dedicated, passionate, and driven young woman. You inspire me everyday to learn more and just fall in love with life more. Every story that you’ve told me and every little delusion we’ve indulged with has helped me romanticize every situation more. Shoot for the stars, because I genuinely believe that you’d be able to reach the moon. When I see you, I see such maturity with the way that you have dealt with life. You have such a bright light to your eyes that is so evident in the way that you take pictures for The Chariot and The Lance. You are so brave to broaden your horizons and I’m so glad that you’re pursuing what you want to do in the future. I hope you continue to document the beauty of life through your camera as you fight your way through life. Your life is literally a movie and I’m so excited to see how it goes. We have to stay in touch because you are such a great presence to be around. Thank you for all the work that you have picked up and the work that you provide is always so beautiful. You can sense the emotions that people felt in your candids as you haul around your camera. It’s honestly a difficult task to carry it around and have the thought to take photos but you do it so well. Thank you so much. I’ll miss you tremendously. HAGS.
Ashwathi Chemban: From the passion that you have had in your culture and your ability to portray that love through art, you have always inspired me. You’re so talented in multifaceted ways - your photos, your art, and your writing have such a unique touch to them that cannot be replicated. I love the color schemes that you use in your art and the unique style that you have been able to develop. Even in artwork as simple as the October Issue lock and ID picture, the color scheme and artistic detail in the ribbon made it so unique. It’s so satisfying to stare at. Each artwork that you created in AP-2D was incredible as well and I loved watching you work. I want to thank you for all your dedication. I loved seeing your outfits throughout our years in high school and honestly relate to a lot of the thoughts you post on your instagram story. You help add so much life to the paper no matter what the assignment is and I really hope you understand the importance of that. Thank you for all you do and I admire everything you accomplish so much. HAGS.
Saffah Azeem: Oh, Saffah. I’m your number one fan! You downplay every single thing that you accomplish and I’m genuinely so serious about it. Your attention to detail is incredible - I felt really good every time you noticed I was wearing mascara or told me my hair looked nice. I don’t understand how you have the most rigorous course load, work, and so much more I probably don’t know about and still manage to have artwork for The Chariot work done. I really appreciate how you’re always at the google meets and how you try to be there every single time despite how difficult it is to communicate with you. I love your go-with-the-flow nature. Honestly, I don’t even think I’ve seen you overly stressed ever. It is so admirable to see how much you do. I love your haircut and your energy and how encouraging you are to the people around you. I think you are one of the most underrated people ever. I wish as many people knew you the way that I did because of what an amazing person you are. You are constantly encouraging others and add so much joy to the paper and the people around you. I love interacting with you and I’ll miss you so much. I wish you absolutely only the best. HAGS.
Art Staff: I hope every single one of you understands how significant your energy is to the paper. Each artwork that you create adds so much to an article. (Between you and me, it’s the reason why most people even click the article). I hope you all enjoy what you do because of how talented you are at it. Have the courage to pursue it if you would like to, I truly believe your happiness is the first priority. In any capacity, I would like to see your work in the paper continually or anywhere. You guys have made communicating with you incredible and I truly cherish every art meeting. Thank you for being willing to hop on a Google Meet to make sure what needs to get done gets done. I hope that every single one of you have fun in what you do and hope you recognize that you are always welcome at layout for a snack because you are truly so important to the paper. Be unafraid to give suggestions and ask questions. HAGS!
Christina Wilson: You have brought countless smiles throughout your time on staff for The Chariot. I enjoyed our time on staff during layout. I have appreciated every single thing that you have done. Thank you for all the work that you have completed efficiently. I loved your editorials and your insight on each and every one of your articles. The amount of time that you have dedicated to The Chariot is so commendable, amidst senior year and college apps - it’s been real crazy. I love the time we spent at Adelphi Press Day and coming up with headlines has been so much fun with you. Thank you for continuing to ask questions throughout your time on The Chariot and always being willing to do anything. I loved the photos you took for “Hoops with a Heart” - the duality that you possess is crazy. I sincerely appreciate how you have expanded your horizons throughout your time. I’m excited to see what you will accomplish in the future with your talent and passions in such various fields. I hope you continue to find a way to express your passion in English as you tread your path saving people. Thank you for everything that you have accomplished into making our paper beautiful. HAGS.
Darsh Mirchandani: Your knowledge is TRULY boundless.You know so much about everything that it’s incredible you manage to fit in The Chariot along with Model UN. From personal experience, it is so difficult to the point I don’t know how you managed to be in this room as much as you did in freshman year while taking AP Human Geography and Model UN. You have had such dedication to The Chariot and have produced such great work throughout your time in The Chariot. I am so looking forward to seeing what you will end up producing throughout your high school career. I hope that you find your passions throughout high school but no matter what you do, I think you will go above and beyond to accomplish it. You have been such a reliable staff writer and I’m so glad we had you on staff this year. HAGS!
Izhaan Ahmed: Oh, Izhaan. Your energy is so vivacious that it’s literally the first word that pops into your head when I think of you. I think you bring such great energy every single place that you go. Please never change for anything or anyone because the foundation that you have set upon yourself is so admirable. Your moral compass shines through and you are able to balance every single thing that you are passionate about. You’re so well-rounded. From music to English to math, you can do it all. I’m so happy for you and everything that you have accomplished and I hope you enjoy the time that you spend at Harvard. You deserve it and I smile every single time that I think of you. I loved the time that I got to spend with you and enjoyed our conversations about music outside of school or philosophy during our free periods. You have gone above and beyond to serve NHP and I think it really shows through. I hope that you carry that same sense of pride throughout your future and take a minute to really reflect on everything that you were able to accomplish. I truly believe that you’ll go far and that your optimistic mindset is what sets you apart. I hope you are able to continue to be passionate and optimistic about every single thing. HAGS!
Linda Cheung: Your articles carry such a passion and outlook that is so unique to you. The outlook that you have is so unique and you have brought up so many articles that we would never have thought of without you. I love how when you have extra time, you take up another article that you feel so passionate about. I love your little extra additions to the paper. Every single thing that you come up with is so entwined with society and culture that it broadens my horizons and I think that’s a very special trait to possess. You truly are one of the most incredible people that I have ever met with everything that you manage to balance. It’s incredible to see how far you have grown too - it’s in your work. I enjoy reading all your articles and editorials on every topic - you truly open my eyes. I hope that you continue to foster your passions and continue being the young, passionate woman that you are today. Thank you for your constant communication with the writers, it’s a very difficult thing to do. I truly appreciate the way that you have carried the writers to grow and help them understand how to get better. The grace with which you have carried it is truly admirable. Everything you have done has helped lead us to a successful paper that now belongs to the returning staffers. I hope you continue to nurture writers and inspire people to write - even if you need to chase them down, because that’s when they might realize that it’s one of their true passions. HAGS!
Morgan Oberwiler: I don’t even know where to start. You are truly one of the funniest and easy going people that I have ever met. I really loved spending time with you in Yearbook and Chariot and I’m thankful for the way that you took on sports. I’m so appreciative of the way that you managed both and how outgoing you are. You helped pull me out of my shell and you’re just a really great friend. I look fondly upon the time we spend together in Yearbook and I really do hope we hang out soon. You really brought me out of my shell and comfort zone, encouraging me to be more open. I love talking to you, you’re just so real with me. You’re a quiet killer of every assignment that you have and your work ethic is so admirable. I truly look up to the way that you balance work and life. You’ve inspired me to do more and I’m really glad that we were able to become friends. I wish we had more of an opportunity to talk because you are genuinely so fun to be around and I feel like I can trust you. You’re so understanding which I’ve always appreciated as your yearbook partner and I’m always inspired by you. Thank you for constantly making me laugh and giving me advice on life. Thank you for consistently driving me home after yearbook and always being considerate of me. Your diverse interests and outreach really shows how great of a person you are and how much fun it is to spend time with you. You’re one of the greatest friends that I’ve made this year and I am truly so thankful for you. You only deserve the best. HAGS!
Rachel Priest: You and Julia are quiet BULLDOZERS! You have worked so efficiently and have always communicated so well that I never have to worry about Entertainment being complete. I love hearing about every single thing you have to say and I truly enjoy the company you provide in our Spanish class. Thank you for always creating the sections on the Wix when we forget and never being angry when we forget to do it. I love when you’re in the room because you bring so much stability and you’re able to take on any task that we ask of you. I loved making headlines with you and just enjoyed your company in layout. Thank you for double checking facts with me and laughing about the silence in Spanish. You’re one of the reasons I actually survived that class. It’s been fun navigating senior year with you and I’ll really miss your company. You make me feel at peace and I’m thankful for how you’re always listening if I need to get something off my chest or always ready to help. I think you truly deserve the best in everything that you pursue. From my perspective, it almost even feels like you’re accomplishing everything that you do effortlessly. It’s so crazy!!! You are SO crazy for being able to accomplish all that and you’re so humble about it too. Thank you for teaching me how to use speakers notes on google slides. You’re honestly the definition of sunshine with the joy and smiles that you’re able to bring to everyone around you. I hope to hear tidbits about your life in the future and love seeing your crochet projects. Thank you for being so on top of it all the time. HAGS!
Asmita Saha: I appreciate the contributions that you have made for the paper. I enjoyed the discoveries you made and wanted to add to the paper. It was great to see you pop in and out of layout getting quotes during late night. I wish you best of luck in the future and I’m looking forward to what you’ll accomplish. I truly admire your passion for different topics and I hope you are able to continually pursue these passions in any shape or form. I know the world will appreciate the love you put into your work. Best of luck with the rest of high school - savor it, it goes by so quickly. HAGS!
Fiona O’Reilly: ACK Fiona, I’m gonna miss you so much. Just seeing you everyday and talking to you about something you’re excited about or hearing you rave about schoolie has been an absolute pleasure. You’re so fun to be around and I admire how you’re able to handle everything that you do. The time management is crazy. Thank you for being one of the most realistic people I have ever met. You’ve provided me such support during college application season and I think you’ll succeed in everything that you put your mind to. You are such a social butterfly and I love the connections that you have made with your mentees. I’ll miss you and I wish I could shrink you and take you in my pocket with me to every place that I travel to. Please stay in touch because I am so looking forward to hearing about your senior year. I know you’ll have a great time in every class during your senior year. Time flies, I don’t even remember when I met you. I love the enthusiasm that you have for The Chariot. It’s so good to see how passionate you are about every single little thing. I loved laughing at you during psych when you wrote about how you like the simple things in life. Or the quiet silences or something. Best of luck with everything. Please stay in touch mamas. HAGS!
Helee Shukla: When I say you are the epitome of Renaissance - I mean it literally. Thank you for being a literal LIFESAVER. You have risen to the occasion in every situation and if I were to write a book about you it would be how you are the protagonist of every single thing that I write ever. If I could start a fan club about you, I literally would. I think you’re one of the funniest people on earth and you’re just so cute. I love the way that you walk or the way that you approach any article. You are one in every person in the whole entire world because who else can match your humor and your ability to write at the same time? NO ONE!! I mean it. The time that you have put into The Chariot not in the room and in the room just makes me so happy. I love that you catch our mistakes - you have been like my pillar. It makes me so excited to see you excited and I’ve looked forward to every issue continually partially because of you. I truly love the work that you produce. I still remember you sitting by the laptop, sighing as you wrote a sports article. I really am so thankful for every single thing that you have done for The Chariot and for me. I love the frantic little texts about Gov and Calc after a long night of layout. I’m truly so glad and thankful that you enjoyed every aspect of it. Thank you for going out of your way to work with other writers and being so willing to use your many talents in any way possible. You are one of the smartest people that I know. It’s so much fun to just learn with you and you’re one of the most considerate people that I have ever met. I think you’re gonna do so amazing in everything you want to do because you are just SO YOU! Helee, I’m so excited to check up on what you’ve been doing every couple months because you’re just so funny. You are one of the most humble people that I know. LIKE YOU ARE THE BEST! I’m going to miss you so much. HAGS!
Julia Esposito: You are a consistent ray of sunshine. You’re your own movie character. I associate you with a great movie on Netflix about this sociable girl that somehow manages to do everything at the same time. There is absolutely no way you get through it. You’re always such a pleasure to be around. Your contributions were always so helpful and you always inspire me with how hard you are working. I don’t think Entertainment would have functioned without you or Rachel and it makes me so happy to think about your section. I loved sitting there and making terrible and great headlines with you whenever the opportunity arose. I’ve never had to worry about Entertainment because of the great communication that you have. Your outfits are always so nice and YOU, as a whole, are just so nice. Your energy is always unparalleled and your enthusiasm for all things Taylor Swift has always kept me on the edge of my seat. It is only with the utmost determination that I think you would be able to carry out the tasks that you do each and every day. I sincerely hope you are so proud of everything that you have accomplished and hope you are able to continue your passions. The bright energy you have is almost magnetic and the energy you bring to the table always boosted morale when we were struggling to meet a deadline. I really do appreciate the effort you made to be in Student Activities amidst every other commitment that you juggled. Thank you for keeping us in the loop about everything! I’ll miss you so much. I hope you get to attend as many concerts as your heart desires. HAGS!
Kaitlyn Bell: The passion that you exhibit for writing is truly admirable. I think it’s incredible that you are able to uphold as many responsibilities that you have now. The consistent stream of energy and extrovertedness that you’ve emitted throughout the time that I have known you is something that I admire about you. Thank you for always creating conversion during brainstorming and always being so adaptable. Your communication with us has been relatively consistent throughout the time that I have known you and I sincerely appreciate it. I appreciate the enthusiasm that you exhibit. I see that little light in your eyes as you jump up and down for articles. It’s part of your passion that keeps me going. I love your persistent nature and I hope that you continue to be persistent in everything that you hope to pursue. Hard work fully pays off and I think the pride we all hold in the paper is so evident of that. It’s always nice how you make the effort to be in the room and I hope that continues as Student Activities fills up with more and more editors to take on the task of continuing the great paper that you have upheld. I’ll miss you so much and I hope you have a great senior year. Stay in touch. HAGS!
Mirolla Mekaiel: I think my absolute favorite layout was the very first one. The late night when everyone kind of stayed later than usual - more so than we do now. I think everyone’s hearts were in that paper and I’m so thankful that you were a part of that layout. You’ve adapted so well to being a sports editor, thank you for taking it upon yourself to even broaden your horizons. The Royal Gladiator Editorial was truly one to remember. You always bring a little bit of joy into my day when I see you with your bright smile. I think you were the one to start the tradition of taking everyone’s water bottles to fill when they needed to be filled. You’re so considerate and I love how much you smile. When you smile, you can tell it’s genuine. Thank you for all the small laughs during layout and all the scramble for getting quotes. Sports is definitely one of the harder sections because of the lack of participation so I want to thank you for everything you have done for that section. I know you’ll do amazing things with your work ethic. It was always such a comfort when we came home from layout and I texted you about Calc and you told me you hadn’t done it either. It made me feel so relieved, I don’t think you’ll understand the comfort that it provided me. The state of calmness that you’re in is also something that I strive for because I feel like you take everything go-with-the-flow and you’re so good at handling stress. I just know you’re gonna do great in college. I really hope we bump into each other in the future and that when we do, we’re able to sit down and complete a puzzle. You’re genuinely one of the sweetest people that I’ve ever met and I’m so happy I got to know you more. I’m going to miss seeing you and your happy smile Mirolla. Keep in touch. HAGS!
Samarth Jani: Do you remember how we have had class together since like 7th grade chorus or something? You were always such a sociable person, I enjoy talking to you so much. I’ll miss your presence a lot. From the memories we made during 7th grade chorus to rapidly writing up articles in the coach bus on the way back from BOSMUN, I’ve realized you are extremely supportive. You are always willing to give a helping hand and you can be trusted with almost any section. You somehow know what’s going on in the school, social media, and just the world. I think you are one of the most “aware” people that I know. I’m always interested to hear your input in the conversation during layout with every single controversial topic we’ve discussed in that room. You really have helped create that room into an open conversation. I always enjoy your little tidbits and stories because of every interesting thing that you do - you do a lot of things that I’m interested in. I hope you somehow keep cooking and that you enjoy it too. I hope you keep being you because your available knowledge on entertainment and social media has been so helpful. Thank you for always being available to pick up articles that we’re struggling with and for helping to find sources - one of the most tedious tasks on Earth. You are always such a pleasure to be around and I can envision us sitting down for a cup of coffee and catching up on life. I hope you continue exploring everything possible because the world really is YOUR oyster. I also feel like I have never told you how nice your eyelashes are - they are so nice and curly. Thank you for being my sanity during MUN conferences and hectic times during Chariot. I’m going to miss you so much, but I already know you’re going to have so much fun in Boston. I can’t wait till we’re old and recounting the memories we made during high school. HAGS!
Tessa Cherian: I don’t think I could ever ask for a better math seat buddy. You’ve been so helpful and you’re always willing to provide an explanation when I’m confused and I don’t think you understand how much I appreciate it. Thank you for always getting your work done in a timely manner. It’s admirable, everything that you’re able to balance. You’re also such a fun person to talk to no matter what we’re talking about. I think you’re genuinely one of the most patient people I have ever met. You’re extremely eloquently spoken and I just admire the way that you talk because you handle it with such grace. It’s incredible how well you have adapted as an editor and how you’ve thrived in Features. You always know what is going on locally and I love hearing about everything you suggest. Thank you for always being considerate of other peoples’ opinions and bringing them up during brainstorming. I’m glad I got to actually speak with you this year and hear little bits about your life. I’m so glad you were a part of the staff this year because of the contributions you have made that produced great work. In all honesty, I don’t think I would have known a lot about Kathy Hochul without you. Thank you for helping me become more aware of my community. I think that you’ll be able to achieve incredible things and I’m looking forward to hearing from you to see what you’ll find out or do. HAGS!
Tina Torre: Look in your yearbook or the letter I am in the process of writing. HAGS!
Mannle: I don’t even know where to begin. Thank you for ensuring that we are given a space to effectively and openly communicate. It’s opened up so many horizons for me and inspired me to strive for more. It’s incredible the amount of creativity we are able to celebrate because of the open communication that we have. I’m going to miss you so incredibly much. Thank you for sharing your life stories and teaching us how to be better communicators or leaders. You have genuinely been so understanding throughout our time together and it makes me tear up knowing that we’ll have to leave. I’m so happy with the way that the paper is going and I’m genuinely so honored to have had the opportunity to work with you on this publication. Thank you for staying all those late nights in order to finish the paper and continuously reinforcing that the paper is digital. Part of the reason why I’m so immensely proud of the work that we have accomplished this year is because of you. (Please forgive any incorrect grammar, I just wrote). You are genuinely a huge part in why people love being a part of The Chariot - the welcoming environment and the encouragement to explore. I’m so glad for everything I’ve learned during the publication. I don't even think I could express how much of an impact it’s made on me. HAGS!
Writers: Never stop writing, never be discouraged by your article getting rejected or postponed. Constantly communicate. Most importantly, have fun. I really want to encourage you all to take a step into Student Activities during our layout period and see how great of an environment it is to be in. Each and every single one of your contributions is what makes the paper, the paper. Without the writers, there would be no paper. I hope you all realize the importance of the work that you do, lifting the voices of others in hopes of inciting change or recognizing a specific achievement. It’s so important in the world to love what you do. Expand your horizons. Above all, keep working to improve who you are and reflect upon what you’ve accomplished already. HAGS!
I love you all so much and you all have a very special place in my heart! HAGS!!!
Source by Mary Kay Mannle
Rachel Houng's time with The Chariot has elapsed as she will go on to pursue English at Macaulay Hunter College.