by Anonymous
I have been attending Splash at MIT since 2015, without fail. I used to come up with my sister, who would attend classes, and my mom, who would teach classes. I got to be a kind of teacher’s aid for my mother, flipping her slides, laying out the candies she would hand out at the end of her classes in the most elaborate designs, writing big letters on chalkboards, it was the most exhilarating experience. I watched the big High School students as they navigated their way through Splash, the teachers commune in the teachers lounge, and walked the beautiful halls of MIT, memorizing each turn as the years passed. Sometimes we would go with a family friend, sometimes with the rest of my family, but whoever we were in company with, Splash always had a sort of allure. I remember hiding behind a desk as my mother gave her lecture, peeking out every now and then to make sure the computer was still on, because my Mom definitely did not know how to work the technology. I had never felt so safe in my entire life. Splash was a constant in my life, from when we went for the first time, when I was 11 years old, to my awkward middle school years, my weird phases, until I was a freshman in High School myself and got to attend for the first time ever. It went from a place where I was important, where I got to help be a part of something, to a place where I got to learn, and be a part of the teenagers I always dreamed of joining. I have learned so much in my three years as a student, how to write effective plot twists, how to create my own language, how to sew a plushie, the mysterious world of astrobiology, and so much more, and each year when I have returned to MIT for Splash it has felt like returning to a mystical place that left too soon, but was just as real and magical nonetheless. Next year will be my last year as a student, the end of the four years I dreamed of for so long as a kid. But as sad as I am that the chapter I wanted for so long is ending, a new chapter will begin—I am going to be able to join the teachers again.
And honestly… I can’t wait.
PS—Holy!! Axolotls are basically the cutest creatures ever. Well, of course, the cutest creatures ever…besides waterbears!
The Ripple 