During Williston Northampton School’s 185th Convocation ceremony, Class President Alex Landon ’26 addressed his classmates about their year ahead. Below are his remarks in full. You can watch Landon’s speech on our YouTube page.

Thank you, Mr. Hill.

Good evening, Williston Faculty, students, members of the board of trustees, and everyone else joining us tonight. It is an honor and a pleasure to be standing here in front

of you all.

First, I’d like to welcome all the new students who arrived on our beautiful campus this week. You’ve just stepped into a place that will challenge you, surprise you, and if you let it – it will change you in ways you can’t yet imagine. And to the returning students, welcome back to the place we are lucky to call home.

Before we dive in, I want to take a moment to thank all the people that helped to make this special event possible. To physical plant, Sage Dining, and every single person who worked behind the scenes, thank you. To the faculty and students who made our opening week run so smoothly, your effort matters more than you know. And of course, I want to give a huge shoutout to the amazing Class of 2026. We’ve finally made it to our last convocation, and I think that deserves a round of applause. Let’s hear it for the senior class! (step back and clap)

It feels like just yesterday that I was sitting where you are as a tiny little freshman, wondering what the next four years would hold. I’m sure many of you here today can understand that feeling. I also remember looking at the seniors and thinking that they had it all figured out. Now standing up here as a senior, I can tell you, we don’t have it all figured out. But we have learned a lot along the way.

This summer, like many seniors, I spent a lot of time touring colleges, trying to find the best match for me. I was searching for that elusive “perfect fit.” On one of my tours, another student asked the tour guide why he chose that particular school. The tour guide’s answer was simple. He said (quote) “It was the best school I got into.” I understood the logic of his response, but his answer still stuck with me. I kept asking myself… was that really enough to base such a big decision on? Then it dawned on me that 4 years earlier, I had done something very similar.

In the fall of 2021, my parents came to me with a question. They asked me: “Are you interested in going to Williston like your brother?” I told them I would think about it, so they offered to schedule an official tour of the school, to which I agreed. I wish I could say that I took the tour seriously, but honestly, I only remember two things about it. Number 1. The computers looked cool. And number 2. There was a place where you could buy cookies. Those two things pretty much sold me on Williston.

A few weeks later, when I was stuck in my room with Covid, I filled out the application and submitted it. When the acceptance letter arrived in the spring, I wish I could say that I thought long and hard about my decision to attend Williston. But I didn’t agonize over it. I just shrugged my shoulders and said sure, I’ll go.

Quick disclaimer – I’m sure my parents are listening to this somewhere, so I should clarify that they did NOT force me to come here. They only wanted me to look into it and make my own educated decision. I just kinda skipped that part. Long story short, just like the college tour guide, I made my decision in a very simple manner.Looking back on how I made my choice, it could have gone very badly. But I got extremely lucky, and in the fall of 2022, I quickly found myself immersed in the best community I’ve ever been a part of.

Williston is such a special place, full of all different types of people. In my mind, it seems impossible to cater to the needs of students from 24 different countries and 24 different states, but Williston always manages to pull it off. Williston can be a great fit for everyone, no matter who you are or where you’re from, and I firmly believe that that’s due to the abundance of opportunities here.

Whether you grew up in Easthampton, or halfway around the world, Williston provides each and every student with a blank canvas. The only caveat is that it is up to each of us to pick up our brush and paint our own unique picture.

There are so many opportunities surrounding you, but you have to take it upon yourself to lean into them and take a risk. I know a lot of you are probably thinking, it’s not that easy to get out of your comfort zone. And you’re not wrong. I vividly remember sitting out there at my first convocation, and if you had told me back then that I would be up here speaking today, I would have thought you were crazy! But here I am, and to me, that’s clear evidence that Williston is a place where you can become the person you want to be.

Like I said, I know it isn’t easy to put yourself out there. But another special quality of Williston, and truly my favorite part, is the people. Everyone here is lucky to have an amazing support system around you, whether you realize it or not.My sophomore year, I had the idea to start a Williston chapter of Best Buddies. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Best Buddies, it is an organization dedicated to the inclusion of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I wasn’t super confident that my idea would work, but my advisor, Mr. Conroy, encouraged me to go for it. With help from the deans and our club advisor, Dr. Maddock, we successfully started the club.

Lots of students joined, and together, we’ve been able to impact both the Williston and local communities. This experience reinforced my belief in the power of Williston. At our school, we truly walk the walk of our motto, Purpose, Passion, and Integrity.

So for everyone here today, I hope my experience can inspire you to break out of your shell. Try a new sport, go to a weekend activity, sit with someone new at lunch, go watch the play, even just visit Henry at Health and Wellness. These actions may seem small, but they add up. They shape who you are, and they build our community.

As we begin this new year, remember, each of us holds a blank canvas. Some of us may already have a few strokes of color, while others may be picking up their brush for the first time. But no matter how far along you are, remember Williston will give you all the supplies you need – the brushes, the different colors, the support, the opportunities – but only YOU can paint your picture.My hope for all of us is that when we reflect on our time at Williston, we can look back at our once blank canvases, and see beautiful, colorful paintings, made up of bold choices, meaningful relationships, and growth that can only occur when you step outside your comfort zone.

So here’s to the year ahead – to the risks we take, the people we meet, the bonds we form, the fun we have, and the art we create during our time here! Let’s make this year a masterpiece!

Thank you!