Alumni Graduation Speakers 2025

Christian Pulido ’17, Head of School Gretchen Forsyth, and Mattea Whitlow ’17

Alumni speakers are a treasured and impactful annual tradition at GUS graduation. Alumni speakers are always selected from the class that was graduating themselves as eighth graders when the current eighth grade class was in Kindergarten. They return as recent college graduates to speak to share words of wisdom and advice with the graduating class. This year’s alumni speakers were Christian Pulido ’17, who recently graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor of Science in Materials Science & Engineering, and Mattea Whitlow ’17, who recently graduated from Smith College with a Bachelor of Science in Statistical and Data Sciences.

Christian Pulido ’17

Hello everyone! I just wanted to start off by saying another huge congrats to the class of 2025. Graduations can be a mixed bag of emotions, but no matter how you feel, you should absolutely be proud of the work you have done to get to this point.

As soon as I saw the email that I was invited to be one of the alumni speakers, I honestly was pretty hesitant to accept because my first thought was, “what words of wisdom could I possibly even share?” I was super grateful for the opportunity, but I just felt like there had to be better people for the job.

It’s strange, you constantly hear that high school and college are these monumental times of change, but when I think back to my GUS self, I genuinely feel like the same person at times. I mean I still have a lot of the same hobbies, habits, and even the same water bottle. Academically, my eighth grade superlative was “most likely to submit their homework at the last minute,” and to the dismay of my old teachers, my work habits have only gotten worse.

However, despite not thinking I have changed much, I actually realized that I have for sure grown a lot over these past eight years... thankfully. While this is for sure due to new experiences, classes, and work, undoubtedly the main factor to this growth has been all the people I have met and the relationships I have gained since my time at GUS. While I am still questioning my ability to share words of wisdom, the one piece of advice I can wholeheartedly recommend is to just meet as many people as you can.

Now, this absolutely does not mean you have to befriend everyone you come across, but the wide range of both positive and negative interactions with different people have been incredibly important to help me grow. From small talk with strangers you will never see again to the daily conversations with your best friends, each person you come across ultimately contributes a piece that makes up the person you are.

Sometimes this means meeting someone with a trait you admire so much you try your best to foster it within yourself. Other times it means meeting someone and actively making sure you do not end up like them. Really, the more people you meet just means the more ideas you’re exposed to, the more lessons you’ll learn, and the more experiences you can have.

As I tend to be more naturally reserved, I know it can feel scary or embarrassing to try and put yourself out there, but the times I’ve forced myself to open up have led me to make some of my closest relationships and favorite memories. Even something as simple as keeping the door to my college dorm room open during freshman year gave me the opportunity to meet my friends and roommates who I’m moving across the country with.

And while I’ve been emphasizing the importance of making new connections, equally important are the old relationships you’ve made as well. I think the reason I feel like I’ve grown, but haven’t really changed is the fact I’m still in contact with or even just think about so many of my old friends and people in my life. New people mean new pieces to the puzzle that make you, you, but in the same vein, those old puzzle pieces you receive never leave.

I really do think back fondly on my time at GUS, and attribute much of who I am to the people I met during my time here. I have been fortunate enough to remain close with a good amount of my old friends, and talk to them on a somewhat regular basis. These type of friends act as lifelong anchors that are a witness to your growth, and these friendships can also evolve as each individual grows themself to help each other grow even more.

I know this generally isn’t the case though, and a lot of relationships are left in a singular time period. Sometimes due to conflict, but most times just because that’s all it was meant to be. Still, that does not lessen the impact they have on your life at all. It could just be revisiting old memories or lessons you’ve been taught, but more often for me, it’s actually just knowing the idea an old teacher or friend may have of me, and not wanting to disappoint them. I think GUS especially is so unique with this considering how tight knit the class sizes are, so I find myself remembering old comments and advice from my teachers and friends more often than most.

Lastly, on the topic of old relationships, I know this is always hammered home, but there really is no relationship more valuable than the ones you have with your family members. Being raised by my mom, grandma, and three older sisters, it practically felt as if I had five moms growing up and I had their eyes watching over my every move. As time goes by though, I find myself reflecting on their words and appreciate the things they’ve done for me more and more.

There really is no other feeling quite like experiencing something, and finally understanding the old advice you heard from your family. One of the phrases I find myself thinking the most as I get older is “wow, I really am my mom.” Instead of my relationship with my family centering around them giving direct advice in response to my actions, I now just wonder what they would do in situations, and that is what pushes me to try and grow into a better person the most.

At the end of the day, the people in your life will affect you more than anything. So, with the uncertainty that comes with graduating, the one thing that is certain is that you will be exposed to more people so you might as well try to talk to them. This really is a super exciting time, and just know your friends and family are equally excited to see you grow into the person you’ll become.

Thank you for listening, and congratulations again!

Mattea Whitlow ’17

I’d like to begin by thanking Ms. Forsyth for inviting me to speak today, and I’d like to extend my gratitude to everyone listening to me stumble through this speech. The last time I stood here was 8 years ago at my own graduation from GUS. In these years, a lot of things have changed. I’ve grown 2 centimeters taller, collected two more diplomas, and gone through countless boxes of hair dye. Yet many things have remained the same. As I graduated middle school in 2017, I felt a sense of uncertainty, both about the world around me and my place in it. What will high school be like? Will I make new friends? Can I keep up as everything moves forward? The answers to these questions were: difficult but manageable, yes, and yes. I felt this same uncertainty as I walked across the stage again less than a month ago. Where do I go from here? How long will I be living with my parents, which I’m certain is a question they ask everyday? Can I do this on my own? There are countless questions that I have, and I’m sure you have them, too. I don’t have answers to these questions yet, and I imagine it wil take a long time before I find them, if ever. But, reflecting on the 8 years it’s taken to find myself back here today, and the years I spent at GUS, I have found two answers I’d like to share with you.

The first is that love lights our path forward. Love exists all around us always. I learned to love a lot of things here, and this has propelled me forward for much of my life thus far. I began to love math here, which sparked my love for statistics, leading to me receiving my bachelors degree in statistical and data science this May. Through projects like making a conjugation themed parody of a Rupaul song for Spanish class, and sharing a homemade pear patina while wearing a toga in Latin, I found a deep love for learning languages, and I can now say that I speak 4 (though maybe don’t actually ask me to speak them right now). My love for reading and writing, fostered by social studies and English classes at GUS, has carried me through my academic career and internship opportunities, as well as allowing me to connect deeply with the arts. Perhaps most importantly, though, GUS teaches us to love the people and the world around us. It is precisely this love for things beyond ourselves – for our friends, our classmates, our teachers, strangers in countries across the world or just a few towns over, books we read, songs we hear, art, nature, anything you can think of – that keeps us going. Because loving the world not only allows us to find beauty and joy, but it also gives us purpose. When you think of what you want to focus on, whether that be in high school clubs, AP classes, or college majors down the line, please lead with love. Remember to do what makes you happy, but please also put your love, your passions, your care for others back into the world, and love will always find you in return. So, if you are scared about what the future might hold, about making friends, juggling academics and extracurriculars, or finding what you want to do, remember that Virgil wasn’t lying when he said love conquers all.

The second is that we never have to do everything alone. I’m sure everyone here has at some point thus far refused to ask for help when we knew we needed it. Whether it be in class, while doing homework, at work, at the doctors office, or all the other places where we worry about being embarrassed (which, if you’re like me, is basically anywhere), asking for help can feel uncomfortable. Maybe we worry that people will think we aren’t capable, or maybe we don’t want to burden others with our problems. It’s a feeling I know well. However, speaking from a past of many failures, it is always better to risk that momentary feeling of embarrassment by asking for help than it is to suffer alone. It’s a sign of strength to be open to others. It shows you care. Most importantly, it saves you from a lot of distress. So go to tutoring, talk to your teachers about what you’re struggling to understand, tell your friends when you’re feeling unwell or scared, talk to your doctor about the aches and pains, be honest with your parents (and parents please listen), and be honest with yourself. It’s something I struggled to internalize for a long time, and it’s something many of you will struggle with, too. You must always remember that there are people who love and want to help you, even if you can’t see it.

There are endless things I could say to you, but this has gone on for long enough. I want you to take a moment (or several) to be proud of yourselves for this achievement. Thank your teachers, parents, and friends for helping you reach this moment. As you go on to high school, then college and/or the adult world after, please remember to have fun. Laugh at your failures, sing badly, go to parties and dance, read in the sunshine, take walks in the rain, and always remember the love.