Seventeen former cherubs spent their 40th anniversary with us. For some, it was their first time back on campus in four decades. Others have returned time and time again — including one of our very own instructors, Mary Lou Song.
For me, seeing the cherubs from 1986 reunite was a realization: The moments, friendships and brief, brilliant bursts of light we create here will last forever.
Song’s cherubs class has reunited for its 10th, 20th, 30th and now 40th anniversary — a tradition that has endured long after their summer at Medill ended. She also still meets one of her best friends from cherubs every other year to catch up.
“There are so few places in the world where you can meet 89 other people who love something as much as you do,” Song said. “That’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
So maybe one day, late-night talks with my roommate, Amalia Rosen of Highland Park, Illinois, will turn into afternoons spent drinking wine by the pool when we’re 27. I’ll get dinner with Lily Youngstrom of Upland, California, at 37 and bond over our latest Asian workplace crushes. Jean Lee of Los Angeles can look forward to our Korean drama watch parties at 47.
Whether the 57-year-old former cherubs on stage built their careers in journalism, law, healthcare, finance or business, they all shared something perfect for a nostalgic conversation or a moment of reminiscence: the best summer of their lives.
As the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun. And I’m scared that I’m going to forget all of these memories over time.
But the beauty of journalism and writing counteracts that very fear. We are the scribes of history, and these words are the witnesses to these fleeting four weeks, this ephemeral yet eternal summer.
So, to my fellow cherubs: I’ll see you in 10 years. And 20. And 30. And 40. You won’t be getting rid of me anytime soon.
