A toast to the class of 2012

This toast was delivered at the Senior Send-off in the Great Hall on Tuesday April 17th 2012.

We came to this place, so young and so bold; we’ll soon say goodbye feeling so wise and so old.

We’ll leave this place with a degree that we’ve earned, but in these past four years how much have we learned?

We started so lost, our major: undecided; philosophy, psychology, you name it we’ve tried it.

The rush of Fall Fest seemed too much to handle; I got a free shirt, but I lost my left sandal.

The video of Holden with the Rubix cube went viral; after Kendall’s wrist injury, our season started to spiral.

The thought of losing to Kansas gives me brain cramps, but in 2009 we were the national champs.

We took long study breaks on Davis eighth floor, and then binged on the cookies in the top of Lenoir.

We saw a football problem even a tutor couldn’t handle; we got rid of Butch Davis in the heat of the scandal.

We played intramurals for the fun of the sport; does anyone remember anything from frat court?

We studied so hard and in Davis we raved; it’s hard to believe what a long road we’ve paved.

Now that we’ve reminisced, it’s time to switch gears, to the best part of this place: the people, our peers.

Surrounded by scholarship and acts of great service, makes me constantly think, do I actually deserve this?

Being in the presence of such inspiring friends, is something money can’t buy, no matter how much one spends.

Now take a look around you, do you feel a sense of pride; this is your Carolina family that will always be on your side.

So now that it’s finally our senior year, how do we plan to leave our legacy here?

We will continue to fight for human rights and social justice; these are the responsibilities with which this school entrusts us.

So class of 2012, I will leave you with this: Five months from now, what most will we miss?

Is it the Pit or the quad, or the bell, or the Well; or beating that school down the road that we hope goes to hell?

It’s our peers and our friends and the memories made; that makes it all worth the tuition we’ve paid.

Classmates that inspire and so many wins at the Dome; these are the things that make Carolina our home.

So when you drive up that hill and see the top of that steeple, always be proud of the University of the People.

Mohammad Saad, the senior class vice president, is a health policy and management major from Cary. Contact him at msaad@live.unc.edu