Senior Chapel: All You Need is Love

When she sat down to write her recent senior Chapel talk, Mari ’16 figured “by this point, I’d have something smart or insightful to talk about.  But less than eighteen years is hardly enough life experience to be wise about anything.”  And yet, Mari did have some wisdom to betstow on the assembled crowd: “Sometimes, when you first meet a person, they look ordinary. They don’t look like anything remarkable. But then, as you get to know them, and their personality – their soul – grows on you … everything about them becomes their face. The way their nose scrunches when they laugh, or the crease they get between their eyebrows when they’re thinking deeply, or the crinkles at the corners of their eyes when they smile. And suddenly, before you even realize it, they’ve become one of the most beautiful people in the world.”  

“Middlesex is full of beautiful people,” said Mari.  “I want to challenge you, every one of you: try to fall in love with people.  We’re surrounded by such incredibly talented and amazing people, and we know them intimately well. We witness the little things they do every day – the little things that make them uniquely them.  I’ve always believed that the little things are what make you fall in love.  Try to fall in love with people.  Fall in love with their little things – and, if you can, fall in love with yourself.  Remember: you are all incredible, talented, intelligent, and beautiful people. Keep  growing; keep exploring; keep dreaming. You are all stars.”