Dear Class of 2015,

As your time at Wake Forest draws to a close, it’s hard to believe that four years have come and gone since you first arrived here. Since August 2011, you’ve been here throughout some of the most significant physical changes to this campus in its history.

You’ve seen football and basketball coaches take their leave and new ones begin their legacies; you’ve seen athletic triumph in the face of tough competition; and you’ve seen, over this last year in particular, that our community still faces challenges in the months and years to come as we work towards greater inclusivity.

Over the last four years you’ve experienced all this incredible university can offer: teachers of the highest caliber, a community dedicated to educating people entirely and a group of fellow students from different places and backgrounds.

While it is natural to feel a level of sadness and sentimentality as you prepare to leave this campus, the endless opportunities you have before you will be nothing less than thrilling.

In the future, you won’t encounter the 8 a.m. classes that kicked you out of bed, the all nighters in ZSR, the pit sits and the (however infrequent) quad rollings. Instead you’ll be meeting new people, entering the workforce, living in different places, attending graduate school and so on — the possibilities are endless.

The only advice I can offer is to make the most of the lessons you have learned during your time at Wake Forest.

Over the last four years you’ve learned how to work with different people and how to operate under pressure — you’ve been tested and emerged stronger, wiser and ready to begin the rest of your lives.

The members of the Editorial Board have published this issue as a tribute to you, your classmates and your remarkable achievements here over the last four years. In these pages you’ll find stories on some of your fellow seniors as well as a look back at your time at Wake Forest.

We have profiled graduating seniors who have been nominated by their respective departments and have excelled in their majors. Also in this issue, outgoing Student Government President Margaret Mulkerrin shares her thoughts on the class of 2015, particularly how your class has grown together to prepare for life beyond this campus.

I hope this issue makes you look back fondly at your time here while also exciting you for the future ahead. The Editorial Board of the Old Gold & Black congratulates you on your success here and wishes you the best of luck in the future.

You now join the ranks of many other lifelong Demon Deacons who have gone on to be politicians, doctors, teachers, lawyers, artists and much more. We are confident that you will go on to represent our university well in whatever you choose to do. The tools you have acquired here will undoubtedly set you on track for success.

Enjoy your commencement ceremony and your final days as an undergraduate.

Best,

Austin Cook
Editor-in-chief
Old Gold & Black