A Senior's Wish For The World

As I write my final article for The Lance, I want to step back from everything I have written and talk about something bigger. As a senior, about to leave Eldridge and North Scott to head into the wider world, I’ve been thinking about the kind of place I hope to leave behind, and the kind of world I hope to live in.

A Better Eldridge

I want Eldridge to grow into a community that puts people first, where we don’t need a car to get everywhere, where sidewalks and bike paths connect us instead of separating us, and where neighbors know each other by name. I want to see more kindness between us; we all know how cruel we can be to others who aren’t like us. I want to see more courage amongst us, especially the kind that calls out wrongdoing, even when it’s hard. People shouldn’t lose jobs for telling the truth (looking at you, YMCA). I dream of a town that uplifts everyone’s passions, whether it is art, robotics, gardening, writing for the school paper, or maybe even building rockets, as I do. I want to see kids and adults supported in the things that make them feel most alive.

A  World Worth Living In

Beyond Eldridge, my hopes only grow bigger. I want a world where the truth has room to breathe – where the press is not silenced or bought, and where speaking up does not mean being shut down. I want to see a world where people do not automatically fight because they disagree, but come together to solve real problems with compassion and empathy.

I want wars to end. I want Russia to leave Ukraine so peace can come again to Europe. I want freedom for Palestine and peace for the mothers mourning for their children, for the fathers carrying their children’s body parts in bags. I want a world where we stop adding to the suffering and start healing it.

And I want a future where LGBTQ and trans people are not just tolerated, but normalized, protected, and free. No laws or opinions of Fox Entertainment should strip anyone of their dignity, identity, or right to exist in peace.

A Senior’s Goodbye

I have only written for The Lance for a semester, but it has meant something to be able to share these stories and opinions, and to use my voice to advocate for a better community, world, and to hold people accountable for their actions or lack thereof. This is my last article, and maybe it is a little different from the rest, but it is the most honest thing I can leave behind.

My wish is simple: I want the world to be better. Not perfect – just kinder. More just. More human. I want us to walk towards each other, not away. Whatever comes next, for me or you, I hope we help make that world possible – one step, one voice, and one brave act of care at a time.

– Olivia Donahue, Class of 2025