Congratulations, Class of 2025

How was Reunions? 

Did you dance all night under a tent? You probably did. 

And it doesn't matter if you were at the fifth or any other tent. It doesn't matter if you graduated in a year that started with "202" or "19-something." You loved every second of it.

TigerBlog's favorite part of Reunions is the P-Rade. The sight of wave after wave of alums from every decade as they find their way down Elm Drive is just spectacular.

Hopefully whatever it is you like about Reunions was refreshed this weekend. And TigerBlog has a suggestion for you for next year:

Find Pattie Friend and follow her around. 

Mrs. Friend, as you might recall, is the woman TB met in the diner on Nassau Street more than a year ago. Her husband Lloyd was in the Class of 1965. They were married shortly after he graduated and stayed that way until his death in 2008.

Since TB met her, he's seen her at pretty much any and every Tiger sporting event. She also is a staple at Cannon Club, where 1) Lloyd was a member, 2) where she works on Sunday nights during the year checking people in and 3) where she put some of Lloyd's ashes after he passed away. 

It all led to these two pictures that she sent to TB:

 

That's very sweet.

Mrs. Friend is aptly named. Her superpower is making friends, everywhere she goes. She'll say "I won't know anyone at the game" and then come back talking about how many people she met. 

She was non-stop on the go at Reunions, in her role as the organizer of the widow's group of the Class of 1965 — and as a walking, talking bolt of lightning. If you see the woman in the picture at Reunions next year, just follow her around. You'll have fun. 

Reunions for this are now in the past. So is the prom. So is Class Day. All that is left for this glorious time at Princeton in Commencement.

And this, by the way, is what it's all about. Whatever you did at Princeton, whatever club you were in, whatever community service project you did, whatever team you played on, whatever stage you performed on — the overriding goal was to be there today. 

It's an indescribable feeling for a parent to watch. TigerBlog knows this first hand, having watched his own daughter do so three years ago. 

He wrote this afterwards, and it is so true:

"Ultimately, he guesses the main emotion was marvel, if that is an emotion. He sat there and watched his daughter, and he marveled at the magnitude of what she had done her at Princeton. He smiled. He laughed. He also beamed. He even cried a little. He was in awe. Mostly, he marveled."

You can ask any parent who is there today to watch it. They will confirm what TB just said. 

It's extraordinary, really. It's not easy to be a Princeton student, obviously. Doing all of the work, writing the thesis, navigating it all — not easy. 

To sit there and see their faces as they wear their caps and gowns? It takes you back to every moment of their childhoods, to the day they got their acceptance letter, to every time they reached out to share the stresses and successes of being a Princeton student. 

Congrats to all of the parents. 

And congrats to the Class of 2025. You know how tough it was to get to this point. And you did it. 

You've earned your smiles. And you've earned your place as Princeton alums. 

Whatever road you take from here, TB wishes you the best. You will all remember your time at Princeton with incredible fondness, as over time the difficult moments will fade and all you'll be left with will be the knowledge that you did it. You'll also draw from these four years for the rest of your life, with the lessons that you've learned. 

And next year, if you come back, you'll have a whole new take on Reunions. 

And that'll be doubly true if you find Mrs. Friend. You'll have to take TB's word it. 

In the meantime, you should all be really proud of yourselves.