Throughout her time at Berkeley, Carina Friess ’25 has taken advantage of the school’s many opportunities and been an active member of the community. During her time in Upper Division, she has been involved in volleyball, dedicated her time to the Berkeley Academy as a tutor and mentor and served in the Student Forum in her senior year. 

Friess shared that as she wrote her speech, she was inspired by the nostalgia she experienced during her final days at Berkeley and hoped to channel it into her words as an important message to her peers. 

Friess began her speech by praising the Class of 2025 for their accomplishments, perseverance and communal support throughout their time at Berkeley. She recounted the memorable moments they had experienced together, from late nights of studying for tests to facing two hurricanes, and expressed her pride in her class’s ability to continuously strive for excellence through adversity. 

Fries then went on to share a quote by Emily Dickinson: “Forever is composed of nows”. 

She based the rest of her speech on this profound quote, reflecting on how often she and her peers found themselves anticipating each big event in their academic lives, and sometimes forgetting the importance of appreciating each moment. 

“We spent much of our educational year looking ahead, waiting for what’s next,” she said. 

Friess spoke for every member of the Class of 2025 when reflecting on how facing the end of her high school career makes her wish she could slow down time and revisit moments from last year, such as the many senior events or simply hanging out at the senior deck. 

With this sentiment in mind, Friess continued her speech by thanking those who made their current reality possible, by highlighting the love and support she received from her own family and giving thanks to all Berkeley families that have pushed the Class of 2025 to be the incredible people they are today. She also spoke on behalf of her class to express gratitude for the amazing teachers, coaches and counselors who have dedicated their time and effort to their academic, athletic and future college success.  

Finally, she thanked her classmates for making her time at Berkeley unforgettable. 

“You made the ordinary moments mean everything.”

Friess ended her speech by advising the Class of 2025 to stop waiting for the next moment,  and instead take risks and “appreciate the now.”

In her final message to her peers, she reminded them to embrace the present, “because forever really is just a collection of those small, beautiful moments we often overlook.” 

To read Carina’s speech, click here. 

To read the full interview, click here.