Class of 2026 Farewell
Hi everybody. We’d like to thank our class for selecting the three of us as speakers. We make a good representation for Concordian’s student body: representation for the average student. Though we do have one thing in common––actually, five out of six of our speakers over these two days have one thing in common––we’re all Literature students.
Before we continue with this speech, we’d like to give kudos to Ms. B. She took a class of 10 simpletons, and, through her ceaseless effort, sculpted a group of erudite, sagacious scholars who we hope are making you proud today.
We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has made it possible for us to reach the end of this road.
First and foremost, we’d like to thank the school administration for upholding the foundation of our personal and academic growth. You have instilled in us compassion and taught us the importance of integrity––values we’ll maintain in every stage of our lives.
To the counseling department, Mr. Tony and the stunning singing siren Ms. Johanna, thank you both for the long afternoons spent re-editing that final essay with us and all the late nights of sending in recommendation letters and outreach emails. Shoutout to Mr. Jay, Khun Kay, Dr. Tresa, and Ms. Lindsay for your support during college apps as well.
To our elementary teachers, most of which have left Concordian already, thank you for shaping the most primitive years of our life. Similarly, thank you to our MYP teachers for building such a strong foundation for our IB journey.
Now onto our DP teachers, who have been our anchor at sea these past 2 years. You have all given the IB a soul with your vibrant personalities and aptitude for teaching (although both apply to some more than others).
And last but certainly not least, Ms. Diane, who is overlooked in the speeches every year but not this one, has been the most incredible support figure throughout our entire high school experience. Thank you for always fighting for us, for recognizing and understanding every complaint and cry, and for making things happen. There’s simply no one like you.
Juniors––and that applies to all of you––we would first like to formally apologize for raising the bar too high. More importantly, however, we’d like to thank you all for your friendship. For our dear 10th and 11th graders, we wish you the best of luck in your DP journey. You’ll certainly need it. But just remember: if Joe could make it to the end, so can you.
The class of 2026 is unique in that nobody ever really falls into a categorical role within the grade. For instance, you take the stereotypical label of a “jock”, and the closest thing you get to that are Ken and Pote, who aren’t brainless bullies but are rather acute. You can picture their crying faces more vividly than most of our classmates.
Burger, while he may not be the smartest member of our grade (he’s obviously no Chino), is certainly the loudest, and therefore often represents us. We are deeply embarrassed at the possibility that you have used him as a benchmark of comparison to the people in our grade; we promise none of us are as odd as him. With that being said, all of our prayers go to Otto for the next four years, who will be attending college with him.
Furthermore, we could drop the words slimlim, green grass, ballroom dancing, matty yu, king julian, airplanes, elf costume, and sober, and two completely different groups of people would perk up. But neither would understand the other half of our references. Our point is, that’s the nature of our grade. We have our distinct circles, but each of us belong to multiple distinct circles. And together, we make up this eclectic mosaic of a class.
There is the rainbow of color (literally) that Otto brings into every conversation he dances his way into. And there is, of course, the unspoken but firmly established buy 1 get 2 free package deal that Kate, Pear, and Sophia come in.
For most of us, the faces we see around us today are the ones we’ve grown up with for the past sixteen years. Although we might not have always been close to everybody, we all unknowingly carry a sliver of each and every one of the 42 members of the Class of 2026 as a part of ourselves. Collectively, we are more than the sum of our parts, and that is certainly reflected in the quality of graduates from this cohort. It’s been the joy of our lives growing up alongside all of you. Attending school, maybe not so much, but watching each and every one of you grow (and for K that’s literally) into such admirable individuals is a testament to the sheer exceptionality of our grade as a whole. Because if you’re the average of the 5 people around you, then all of us are well above fine.
As we conclude this bittersweet chapter of our lives and step into the next, riddled with uncertainty and unknown, we’d like to leave you all with a reminder in line with Concordian’s values that have been ingrained in our brains since the ripe age of three. Never be so kind, you forget to be clever. Never be so clever, you forget to be kind. Never be so polite, you forget your power. And never wield such power, you forget to be polite.
To everybody else, thank you for being a part of the Class of 2026’s most foundational years. You have all made our time here worth remembering. To quote a great teacher: “O me! O life!… of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless… of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?” Answer. That you are here––that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?
Sophia, K and Joe-Joe
Global Scholarship Success
Match by Concourse Global is a reverse admissions platform that connects students with universities around the world. Rather than requiring students to search for institutions individually, the platform allows participating universities to review student profiles and proactively reach out to students whose academic backgrounds, interests, and aspirations align with their programs. Through Match, Concordian students gain greater visibility among a diverse range of higher education institutions, receive personalized outreach from university admissions representatives, and discover programs that align with their academic interests, aspirations, and career goals.
What makes Concordian students particularly sought-after by universities extends beyond their academic achievements. Institutions recognize that IB students bring both academic rigor and a global perspective to campus communities. Combined with a strong record of accomplishment and a genuine commitment to service and community engagement, Concordian students stand out as highly desirable candidates, making them especially
appealing to universities seeking well-rounded and engaged community members.
The Class of 2026 achieved outstanding results through the university admissions process, receiving 544 admission offers and earning $34.4 million USD in scholarship awards. On average, each student received 14 university offers and $904,000 USD in scholarship opportunities. These impressive outcomes reflect both the accomplishments of Concordian students and the comprehensive support provided through the school's university advising program.
A key component of this process is profile building, which begins early and encourages students to pursue meaningful academic, leadership, service, and extracurricular experiences aligned with their interests and strengths. Through our university advising program, students are guided in developing a distinctive and authentic profile that showcases their unique talents, values, and accomplishments, enabling them to stand out as compelling candidates to universities around the world.
Ms. Johanna Henson, University Counselor
CLASS OF
Students applying overseas accepted to
United States
Amherst College
Babson College
Bentley University
Berklee College of Music
Binghamton University
Boston University
Bowdoin College
Colorado State University
Columbia University
Dartmouth College
Georgetown University
overseas accepted to
United Kingdom
Arts University Bournemouth
Central Connecticut State University
Georgia Institute of Technology (2)
Illinois College
Johns Hopkins University (2)
Middlebury College
Northern Illinois University
Northwest Missouri State University
Purdue University
Purdue University Fort Wayne
Rochester Institute of Technology
SCAD: The University for Creative Careers (2)
Seattle University
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Syracuse University
The Pennsylvania State University
Tufts University (2)
University at Buffalo
University of California, Berkeley (2)
University of California, Davis (3)
University of California, Irvine (4)
University of California, Los Angeles (3)
University of California, San Diego (5)
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (2)
University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Michigan (2)
University of Pennsylvania (2)
University of Pittsburgh
University of South Carolina Upstate
University of Tennessee at Martin
University of Wisconsin–Madison (4)
Wesleyan College
MEDICAL SCHOOLS
Cambridge School of Visual & Performing Arts
Cardiff University
City St George's, University of London
Durham University
Imperial College London (3)
King's College London (7)
Lancaster University
London School of Economics and Political Science
Newcastle University (2)
Northumbria University (2)
Queen Mary University of London (2)
The Glasgow School of Art
The University of Edinburgh (5)
The University of Manchester (9)
University College London (7)
University for the Creative Arts
University of Bath (3)
University of Brighton
University of Bristol (3)
University of Exeter (2)
University of Leeds (2)
University of Liverpool
University of the Arts London (2)
University of Warwick (7)
University of Westminster
University of York
Australia
Monash University (2)
The University of Melbourne (4)
The University of Queensland (2)
The University of Sydney (2)
UNSW Sydney (4)
Canada
Carleton University
International College of Manitoba
The University of British Columbia (4)
Toronto Metropolitan University
University of Toronto (4)
Western University
Italy
Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti (2)
TOTAL ADMISSION OFFERS
China, Hong Kong SAR
Fudan University (3)
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (2)
New York University Shanghai (2)
Peking University
Shanghai Jiao Tong University (2)
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen
The University of Hong Kong (3)
Tsinghua University
University of Nottingham Ningbo China
Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (8)
Zhejiang University (2)
Singapore
Singapore Management University
Switzerland
EHL Hospitality Business School (3)
Webster Geneva Campus
Thailand
Chulalongkorn University (5)
King Mongkut's Institute of Technology
Ladkrabang
Thammasat University (2)
Medical Programmes
(คณะแพทย์ศาสตร์)
Chiang Mai University (2)
Chulabhorn International College of Medicine, Thammasat University (4)
Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University
Khon Kaen University
King Mongkut's Institute of Technology
Ladkrabang
Srinakharinwirot University
- The University Of Nottingham (2)
Tongji University, China