Lilah Gettler was introduced by her fellow Valedictorian, Meredith Sullivan:
I have known Lilah since our Miller-Driscoll years, and I can say, without a doubt, that she is exceptional.
Now, I’m supposed to stand here and tell you all about what Lilah has done in high school. But, I think the real question is what Lilah has not done?
Exactly, literally nothing.
At school, Lilah is co-president of the Mock Trial and Debate teams, where her razor-sharp objections and artfully crafted rebuttals stump even the toughest of opponents. Lilah is also a member of the National and Spanish honor societies.
Outside of school, Lilah has interned with U.S. Representative Jim Himes, the Wilton League of Women Voters, and the Bridgeport Public Defender’s Office. She is also Youth Board president of Ms. President U.S.
Lilah’s prowess extends beyond just academics. Sure, she is brilliant in the classroom — in fact, she even has a poster in Mr. Shpak’s math classroom that says “Lilah Gettler is always right.” But, perhaps more importantly, she is such an amazing person with an exceptional sense of humor and a willingness to always help others.
Next year, Lilah will be attending the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in Philosophy, Politics and Economics — yes, that’s one major, and yes, Lilah is a true Renaissance woman.
Here’s the one and only Lilah Gettler.
Good afternoon esteemed faculty, distinguished guests, teary-eyed parents, siblings who don’t want to be here, friends, extended family, underclassmen counting the years and, last but certainly not least, the Class of 2026.
Whether you’ve been here for nearly your whole life or moved to Wilton recently, all of our paths have crossed in ways both obvious and unnoticed for years. Even people we don’t consider ourselves friends with, we’ve known for a decade, we know each other’s families, we have old pictures together preserved in our parents’ photo albums, we have played four square together during recess, ridden the bus together, bumped shoulders in the hallway, sat next to each other in class, and maybe we have been friends at one point or another.
Even though it’s hard to wrap my head around just how quickly time has passed, as I process the excitement and fear and nostalgia that comes with graduation, it’s reassuring to know that there are nearly 300 people who have been experiencing all of this alongside me since the beginning.
But after this, we are all venturing into new worlds dispersed across the globe about which we know very little. For a lot of us, this will be the first time since kindergarten that we are entering a new environment in which we will be strangers to everyone and everyone will be a stranger to us. Although this change will deprive us of the familiarity we have with each other and the security that comes with everyone already knowing who you are, we have an unparalleled opportunity to make new first impressions — to choose how we present ourselves to the world based on who we have become rather than who others remember us being. We have so much freedom to define ourselves by new styles, interests, communities and ambitions, and this school has made any path in life possible for any of us.
Today is just a starting point, a celebration of the end of the beginning, and a reminder that, in the words of Lana del Rey, “It’s never too late to be who you wanna be.”
Thank you to everyone for coming, especially our teachers who gave us the education and opportunities that brought us to this point, and to my family for all their support. Congratulations Class of 2026!!
