Each year, students from the senior class submit poems that best encapsulate both their own unique voice of their Berkeley experience and the collective experience of their entire class. This year, Nik Jefferson ‘24 was selected to be the 2024 class poet with a remarkable poem that skillfully takes inspiration from the school’s Alma Mater.
The poem begins with the first line of the song: Oh Berkeley, now we honor. Jefferson then relates the line to the honor code, morals students are familiar with and reminded of with every test and quiz they take. With the next line: Our colors Blue and White, the poet shares a special perspective from his role on his sports teams, and what the colors represent both on and off the field. When asked about the focus on the school’s colors, he shared insight on their significance. “I felt that color was more than just what you see, it represents many aspects of our life. From confidence to purity, love, hate, life, calmness. Color is much more than what meets the eye, it’s a symbol of the components that make us who we are, and just like mixing other colors, when we go through experiences and meet other people who influence us in different ways, we create new colors and add it to our palette.”
Jefferson poignantly abridges the Berkeley experience, paying homage to different groups, classes and events that occur throughout the year. He renders the complex emotions of simultaneous stress and euphoria of being a high school student, particularly at a school as vibrant and full of life as Berkeley. He gives tribute to the Competition, Mello Divas, History Bowl, Convo, the dedicated faculty and the challenging classes, describing a culture that one can only comprehend through his poem or from being engrossed in it.
In his interview, Jefferson explained that he hopes listeners and readers of his poem will be encouraged to reflect back on their experiences and all that they have accomplished. “I wanted them to reflect on the journey that they have gone through, I wanted them to pat themselves on the back and say ‘Yes I did it. I made it through.’ I wanted people to reflect on the moments that made them the happiest and the moments that made them the saddest. Because ultimately that’s what the journey is all about, we go through ebbs and flows in life. And at the end of that journey, we come out a new person.”
However, this year’s class poet does not only excel in his poetry; he also is a leader in his sports. When asked to share advice for Berkeley students who come after him, Jefferson stressed a message of avoiding singularity. Specifically, to football players younger than him, he urges them to expand their interests and be brave enough to achieve excellence in many fields. “…don’t think that it isn’t cool to step outside of the norm and be something else besides an athlete because you are more than that. Go out and be a poet, be an actor, be a singer, play the bagpipes, play the drums and the saxophone. Because when you do that you create a welcoming aura that extends beyond the football team. You are here to create a community that includes everyone who attends the school and believe it or not people will follow you.”
To read Nik’s full interview, click here.
To read Nik’s full speech, click here.
