An Albuquerque Academy Community Newsletter
Special Commencement Issue
To help celebrate the Class of 2022, we are dedicating a special edition of The Path to our graduates. We congratulate them for their hard work and dedication that led them to this point. Join us in this special issue as we follow our graduating seniors during their commencement week.
Congratulations, Class of 2022!
Albuquerque Academy’s 63rd commencement was celebrated the morning of Saturday, May 28. After processing down the path, seniors joined faculty in the Charger tradition of performing the wave, each group trying to out-wave the other.
In her speech to the graduates and their friends and families, Head of School Julianne Puente started with several interesting facts that make the Class of 2022 unique and distinctive. She posed to the audience, did you know that:
- Seniors checked out 2,876 books from Simms Library?
- Since sixth grade, as a class, they spent 2,505 days exploring the wilds of the southwest in addition to hiking at least 1,000 miles with the Ex Ed program?
- They conjugated 93,413 verbs in seven different languages?
- They wrote 652,751 lines of code and solved 1,179,521 math problems?
- They produced 73,451 fruit flies and 16 genetically modified novel fly lines?
Ms. Puente then shifted her focus to the next phase of seniors' lives, noting that varying states of transition bind them with one another, their parents, and many others in the audience. “I believe the story of our lives arises in these moments of transition, and I know that, instead of resisting upheaval and uncertainty, we should not only accept them, but we should actually embrace them. Your life is the story of who you are, where you come from, and where you dream of going…. It’s the high points, the low points, and the turning points. What you believe in, what you fight for, and what you value most become the story of your life. And that story isn’t just a part of you. It is you.”
And she shared this wish: “I hope we choose to always be curious because choosing to be curious is choosing to be vulnerable. It requires us to surrender to uncertainty, to ask questions, to admit not knowing, and sometimes, to make discoveries that lead to discomfort. Being curious makes embracing periods of transition much easier. “
Senior Week: Special Events for Seniors
Seniors got to enjoy their last week on the Academy’s campus – for most, their school home for seven years – by participating in fun events organized by the AAPA. Seniors enjoyed beach volleyball, a casino night, a music festival, a movie night, and a farewell dinner.
Faculty/Senior Lunch
One of the Academy's loveliest traditions is the faculty/senior luncheon. Faculty and the graduating senior class come together to celebrate their education and future success and hear from that year's Faculty Award winner.
In her address to the seniors, Director of Community and Global Citizenship Dara Johnson shared her experiences with being the recipient of the kind of goodwill Academy students generate through their Commitment to Service projects. Through these acts of kindness and support, "hopefully you felt productive and helpful," she said. Many of you "gave your time and energy to help people you will never meet.
"My job at the Academy, in a nutshell, is to inspire and encourage our students to learn about the value of serving your country and community with wisdom, conviction, and compassion. But what I’ve really learned this year is that service doesn’t always have to be big commitments of time, energy, or money. I had the humbling opportunity to experience first-hand how small acts of kindness can have such a profound impact."
Graduates Will Span the U.S. and Beyond
Welcome Newest Alumni
Congratulations, Class of 2022, and welcome as our newest alumni! We hope you will stay in touch – we want to know how and where you are, and what you are doing. To make it easier to stay connected, there’s a landing page on the Academy’s website just for you, https://www.aa.edu/alumni/, or stop by the advancement offices in the library (just ask a librarian where we are) and pick up your alumni window decal.
Your teachers, coaches, advisers, and others would love to see you, so come back and visit us often! Homecoming is September 24, 2022, so if you’re in town, think about joining us for one or more of the events we have planned for the weekend.
Best of luck on your next steps, wherever they may take you! We hope to see you on campus again, retracing your footsteps.
– Dawn, Mandy, Heather, Cristina & Kayci, the advancement/alumni team
Iconic locations on campus hold a special place in the hearts and minds of Charger alumni. We hope you enjoy a little nostalgia for the places around school that became part of your everyday life while on campus.
“You're Off to Great Places!"
"Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so... get on your way!”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!
We wish our graduates much happiness and success in their next steps!
Watch the full commencement here.