Specades Letter to Reader

Dear Reader, 

Seventy-five years from now, how will you remember your Stuyvesant experience?

Stuyvesant students are notorious for living not in the present but in the future. We’re always thinking one step ahead, focused not on what we are doing, but where it will get us. This determination is one of our greatest strengths and also one of our greatest weaknesses—we sacrifice enjoyment in favor of a shared vision of “success.” 

When we fixate so much on the destination rather than the journey, the little moments can turn into a blur of caffeinated late nights, whirring subway cars, and more assessments than we can count. Which moments will distinguish themselves from the chaos and live in our memories for decades to come? How does our time at Stuyvesant fit into the rest of our lives? What does life after Stuyvesant look like, and to what extent is it shaped by our time in high school? 

In hopes of answering these questions, the ‘23-‘24 Editorial Board considered how our own Stuyvesant experiences have been shaped by the unprecedented historical circumstances of recent years. Whether it was beginning high school in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, witnessing the January 6 storming of the Capitol, or watching ChatGPT slowly infiltrate our classrooms, it is undeniable that the events of the 2020s have impacted the way we see ourselves, others, and the world around us. 

Through the Specades by The Stuyvesant Spectator is a comprehensive look at the Stuyvesant experience from the 1940s to the 2020s in the form of alumni profiles and in-depth analytical pieces. In this magazine, we explore the evolution of the Stuyvesant experience through the perspectives of alumni and where they find themselves today. Currently, you may not know what you want to pursue in the future—and that’s okay! Or you might have a firm idea of where you’ll be 10 years down the road—but that might change! We hope that by reading the diverse narratives of people who have walked these halls, you will remember that it is your unique passions that will drive your future—not your grades or the college you attend.

Can you believe that 75 years from now, it will be the year 2099? Yeah, we can’t either. Standing coffee date: Terry’s on January 17, 2099. We’ll be the ones with the massive cups of espresso, dilated pupils, and shaky hands. 

Sincerely, 

Rebecca Bao and Phoebe Buckwalter 

Editors-in-Chief ‘23-‘24