On June 16th, family, faculty, and students of BASIS Independent Brooklyn gathered together at the Palm House in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to celebrate the accomplishments of our Class of 2026. Our twenty-five graduates are now poised to continue their academic careers in top colleges and universities in both the U.S. and abroad.

During the ceremony, Co-valedictorians Gregory G. and Nate C. captured their time together as a class and inspired their fellow graduates to look ahead to all that is in store for them. We wanted to share their speeches with our community since their words reflected the joy, humor, and honor at the heart of the celebration.

Address by Class of 2026 Co-valedictorian Gregory S.

Hi everyone. I can’t believe our time in high school is coming to an end, so with that, I have some words to say.

There’s one question I get more than anything when people find out where I go to school. They say how is BASIS Independent Brooklyn? And my answer has always been the same: it’s small.

For a long time, I said that like it was a complaint. But now I realize it was a blessing and the best thing that ever happened to us.

It’s all about perspective.

When I got to BASIS, I noticed pretty quickly that a lot of things just didn’t exist yet. No club for this, no group for that. And at first, I thought that was a problem. But then I realized — that’s actually the opportunity.

Think about it. Amazon didn’t start because Jeff Bezos had everything handed to him. It started because there was no good way to buy books online, and he went and built it. Some of the greatest companies in the world exist because somebody looked at something that wasn’t there and decided to go build it themselves.

We did the same thing. If the East Asian Club didn’t exist, someone in this room would have built it. The Jewish Affinity Group, the Motorsport Engineering Club, and DECA — all started by people in this room. BASIS Independent Brooklyn, being small, meant the opportunity was wide open. We just had to be willing to step up and take it.

BASIS being small also meant there weren’t a lot of people in the class. You look around, you’ve got 25 kids in your grade, and you think: this is it? So, there were definitely some moments where we all felt like we were missing out. Brooklyn Tech has a thousand people in its class.

Meanwhile, we’ve got 25.

But those 25 people were in every single class with you. They were there stressing over the same deadlines, praying for the AP curve to save everyone’s grade, having fun in Spanish together, and chilling at lunch. You didn’t get a thousand acquaintances. You got a handful of people who actually know you.

I’ll take five people who know me completely over a hundred people who don’t know me at all. Every single time.

Before I close, I need to thank some people.

Mom, Dad — thank you. For everything. To my older brother —thank you for screaming at me when I needed it. To my younger brother — sorry for screaming at you. You probably needed it too.

To my teachers, thank you for all the care and effort you put into this school.

And to my class — you shaped me more than you know. I went through all of it with you, and I genuinely hope our paths keep crossing.

So, here’s what I actually want you to walk away with today. Not that BASIS is small. Not that we missed out on the massive homecoming. But that didn’t stop us from going out and being great. From building things, to showing up for each other, to becoming genuinely amazing people.

That’s perspective. Taking what you have, not using it as an excuse, and making something out of it anyway.

Don’t let the small stuff stop you. Don’t let what’s missing define you. Look at what’s in front of you and ask what you can build with it.

Congratulations, Class of 2026. Go be great.

Address by Class of 2026 Co-valedictorian Nate C.

Good morning, everyone. I want to thank everyone for attending this highly anticipated yet mandatory event. Whether you are excited to be here or one of the siblings who was dragged here against your will, I hope my words will resonate with you today.

Thank you to parents, teachers, administrators, family members, esteemed guests, average guests, and of course, the Class of 2026.

I am honored to serve as your co-valedictorian. So let me briefly introduce myself. People know me as Nate the Great, Nate Dogg, the old man, the guy who sleeps too much, the guy who doesn’t sleep enough, and, for a certain few teachers, the traitor who didn’t take their capstone course this year.

Regardless of how you know me, I want you to know that I entered BASIS [Independent Brooklyn] in 9th grade as someone who had never been in such a close-knit and supportive environment. I had never seen such dedicated teachers, flexible schedules, and clean restrooms in my life. To be honest, I was quite terrified and overwhelmed, but BASIS took me in without a second thought.

Of course, I wouldn’t have gotten here without the support of the people around me. As much as I hate to admit it, I wouldn’t be standing here without my family’s support. I specifically want to thank my parents for encouraging me to leave my room and be “more social”, my grandparents for bringing an absurd amount of food to increase my “brain power,” and my brother for keeping me up during late-night study sessions with his superb singing and guitar skills. I also want to thank my friends and classmates for putting up with my sarcasm and constant exhaustion.

We have all grown over the last four years at BASIS. We have all grown as readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, and emerging scholars. While we have improved in many ways, we must acknowledge room for improvement, whether it’s only showing up late twice a week rather than four times or only falling asleep in class once rather than twice a day.

Throughout these past four years, we have truly gone through it all. We memorized countless literary devices, trig functions, the entire unit circle, the periodic table, and every major war between 1600 and 2000. And we couldn’t have done it without our supportive yet at times overly zealous teachers. Whether it was trying not to blow up the classroom during our chemistry labs, rewriting history in AP world, or channeling our inner acting talent during AP literature plays, our teachers supported and encouraged us.

Moving past academics, we have started so many clubs and greatly improved our local Red Hook community. I have honestly lost count of the number of awards we have earned over the years. We have become leaders and have shaped our school in just as many ways as it has shaped us.

Throughout our time together, we have created many fond yet, at times, embarrassing memories. From getting sunburnt and taking the wrong ferry to our high school retreat, to taking our local trash pickup too seriously by collecting an absurd amount of questionable items, we have done it all. I still remember stuffing my face with unknown delicacies during World Fest and being forced to take a photo with my four favorite teachers during Prom (you know who you are).

As we prepare for the next chapter ahead of us, we need to remember what we will be leaving behind. We will miss having a welcoming student lounge all to ourselves, accessible student hours, and of course, free food. These everyday moments, the ones we barely noticed at the time, are the ones we’ll miss the most. However, we will not be missing the numerous post-AP projects, college essays, or times the vending machine scammed us.

I also want to take the time to congratulate you all on your college acceptances. Whether you are attending your dream school or simply trying to get as far away from your parents as possible, I’m confident it will work out. We will carry the values BASIS instilled in us to college and beyond, including hard work, perseverance, and the courage to negotiate every and any assignment we find unfair.

I look into the crowd, and I see future doctors, engineers, lawyers, entrepreneurs, and many other successful professionals. I hope we all stay in touch in the future, whether as friends or as simply colleagues, we call for investment advice.

I’m sure you’re waiting for a cliche ending or overused quote, but we’re innovators here, so you’re going to have to keep on waiting forever. I also know many of you have been impatiently waiting at the finish line for the past three months now. Well, guess what, we’re all caught up now, so are you ready to graduate?

Thank you, Class of 2026, and good luck.

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Thank you to Gregory, Nate, and our entire Class of 2026 for leaving their mark on our school community! We will be cheering you on these next few months during the transition to college, and remember, you will always have a home here.

BASIS Independent Brooklyn is a PreK–Grade 12 private school, providing students with an internationally benchmarked liberal arts and sciences curriculum, with advanced STEM offerings. Considering joining the Bears community? To join our interest list for the next school year and receive admissions updates and more, please click here.