羞羞视颏

Below is the commencement address from Isaac Miller, who was selected by his fellow members of the SJP Class of 2026 to give the commencement address on May 22.
Isaac is the son of Jen and Aaron Miller of Cold Spring, and the brother of Nora ’23.
Isaac will attend Ithaca College in South Hill, New York in the fall. He will major in acting and minor in dance.

On behalf of the Class of 2026,
I want to begin by thanking all of you here with us today. To our faculty and staff – thank you for the time, care, and dedication you have poured into us over the years. You have challenged us, supported us, and helped shape us into who we are today. To our families and friends – thank you for your constant encouragement, your sacrifices, and for believing in us, even when we didn鈥檛 always believe in ourselves.

We are also deeply grateful to Bishop Neary, Abbot Doug and members of Saint John鈥檚 Abbey, and other distinguished guests for being here with us today and for the roles you have played in guiding and supporting this school community. And finally, to my classmates – the Class of 2026 – it is truly an honor to stand with you today. Each of you has helped shape this class into something special, and I am incredibly proud of all that we have experienced and accomplished together.

Seven years ago, our class started as a small group of students. We were also part of the first-ever fifth- and sixth-grade section in SJP history. Apparently, that experiment did not work, because we were also in the last fifth and sixth-grade section. Since then, our class has grown to 54 students, which may sound small, but for Prep, is a big class. Today, we come from five countries and 13 local communities.

With so many different backgrounds, we have all lived unique and diverse lives. But something we have all experienced together is the onset of AI. Now, as I鈥檓 sure many of you know, AI has become a major part of our lives today. Schools have blocked websites on devices and added AI detectors to assignments. Even though AI has been shaping our world behind the scenes for years, now it feels impossible to ignore. Every day, people are debating which jobs technology might replace and what the future will look like.

Recently, in Ms. Fitch鈥檚 AP English class, she asked us a question during one of our weekly 鈥淭alk on Tuesday鈥� discussions. If you don鈥檛 know, Ms. Fitch has a theme for the beginning of class each day. Most days are reflection-based questions about our childhood or current day topics. I like every day except 鈥渨orkout Wednesday.鈥� Because starting an 8am class with a plank or wall-sit competition is not cool, Ms. Fitch. These prompts allow us to come together each day, and all get on the same page while hearing what is on everyone鈥檚 mind. The question that day was: 鈥淲hat is something AI cannot or should not replace?鈥� And that question really stayed with me.

The first answer that came to mind was human connection and relationships, but someone said that before I could, so I went with the performing arts because, selfishly, I would appreciate a little job security. In typical AP English fashion, we kept talking. My eighth period class is notorious for making these prompts last way longer than they should, but that鈥檚 when I realized my original thought had been right all along. My fellow students talked about love, friendship, empathy, conversation, and the power of human connection. And that made me think about our class and what makes us who we are. I came to realize that connection is what shaped this class into what it is today.

Even though there are only 54 of us, connection was never guaranteed. We chose to come together as a class. We chose to show up for one another at games, concerts, and shows. Without those choices, we would not have had a senior sunrise, a senior sunset, or even a senior prank.

Members of our class even took charge and in honor of the shooting at Annunciation School. Though that moment was heavy and emotional, we saw our community stand up and come together. For me, it was one of the most impactful events during my time at Prep.

And I know phone free Friday was not everybody鈥檚 favorite day of the week, but when we were trying to figure out how to spend lunch without Instagram or TikTok, I saw my friends truly connect with each other. I got to see arguably some of the most intense rounds of Uno ever played. There were tears, but mostly from laughing, I think鈥�

Even when we were told a senior skit probably was not going to happen this year, we came together and created, in my humble opinion, the best one Prep has ever seen. And when the AP English classes were coming up with ideas for each person鈥檚 part, it showed just how well we understood what made each person unique.

These are the things we will remember. We may not remember every grade we got sophomore year, but we will remember laughing together about something that happened in class. We will remember the stressful moments when someone reminded us that everything was going to be okay. And we will remember the people who were there for us, day or night, when life got hard.

Now, we are all about to begin a new chapter in our lives. Some of us are staying close to home. 羞羞视颏s are heading out of state, and some are even going to other countries. I am getting ready to move to New York for college. I get to study my passion at one of my dream schools. So, when people ask if I am ready to move away and start school, I almost always say yes.

But, if I鈥檓 being honest, that is not the whole truth. It is scary to think about being away from everything I know and away from the people who have made this place feel like home. For the first time in four years, we will not see the same faces every day, and we will not have the same teachers welcoming us into class. But I think that nervousness tells us something important. It reminds us that what we built here was real. And that is exactly why it will stay with us.

It shows that what we built here matters.

In a world that keeps accelerating and where technology continues to reshape everything, it seems like what people are really searching for hasn鈥檛 changed at all. People are still looking for each other. No technology can replace the feeling of being truly known. It can鈥檛 replace the moment your favorite song comes on at a dance, and everyone rushes onto the floor. It can鈥檛 replace someone showing up for you when you鈥檙e going through something difficult.

Connection gives life meaning. It鈥檚 what makes us human.

And I think that gives our generation both a challenge and an opportunity. We have to resist the pull towards disconnection. Because connection does not just happen. It takes effort. It asks us to reach out, to be vulnerable, and to take that first step. In this next chapter, we will be surrounded by people we don鈥檛 know yet. We may feel anxious and scared, but the truth is, those new to us are probably feeling the same way we are. So introduce yourself. Sit down at that table. Start the conversation. Be the reason someone else feels less alone. Because one small moment of courage can turn into a friendship that can last a lifetime.

As we leave Prep, my hope is that we carry that with us; not just the memories, but the willingness to keep choosing connection, to keep showing up for people, and to keep building the kind of community that changes us for the better. And wherever we go, I hope we build communities similar to what we have created in our years here.

Because if we have proven anything during our time at Prep, it is this: Connection is not just something we were lucky enough to find here. It is something we now know how to create. And that is something no technology will ever replace.

So, Class of 2026, congratulations. Thank you for the memories, the laughter, and the friendships that made these years unforgettable. Thank you for making this class what it is. I am so proud to be part of it, and I cannot wait to see the lives you build, the people you become, and the communities you create.

Thank you.