Elected by her graduating classmates, 2026 Commencement Senior Speaker Anna Brandmeyer ’26 reflected on how every Poly student carries their own version of the school—from daily routines like scanning in for attendance and claiming a lunch table, to milestone moments like championship wins, curtain calls, and college acceptances. What makes the Poly community extraordinary, she concluded, isn’t that everyone shared the same experience, but that all those different stories, paths, and passions thrive side by side—and the lessons learned along the way will shape everything that comes next for her.

Enjoy her speech given at Commencement on June 5, 2026.

Over the years, I have realized something. Everyone here at Poly has their own version of this school. 

There’s the Poly built around practices and games. The Poly built backstage and in rehearsals. The Poly of long commutes and early mornings. There are people who have been here since nursery, and people who arrived this year and seemed to immediately find their place. We all went to the same school, but we all experienced it a little differently. What makes this place so special isn’t that we all had the same experience–it’s that all of those different versions of Poly coexist at once.

Every seven days, all of our different worlds came together in the same place: Chapel. It didn’t matter what your version of Poly looked like outside those doors. For forty minutes, we were all there together. Watching performances, hearing guest speakers, and learning about the cultures and identities of people we shared hallways with for years. Week after week, Chapel became one of the few places where all of our different worlds intertwined. And I didn’t fully realize how special that was until our last day of school together.

Coming from shirt signing, we piled into the chapel and watched classical music performances, Hamilton reenactments, Shark Tank pitches, and promposals—somehow all in the same assembly. It was chaotic and hilarious and the perfect reflection of this community. It was a reminder that this place has never been defined by any one activity, interest, or group, but by all of them thriving together. 

And now we’re leaving. Off to different cities, different schools, different lives.

The paths from here look nothing alike—which honestly makes sense, because the paths that brought us here never looked the same either. But I think that’s why leaving feels so strange. Because even though all of us moved through Poly differently, we built a life here, together. 

And now, suddenly, the things that once felt ordinary feel important. The things we never thought twice about.

We spent so much time focused on the big milestones—the championships, the performances, the acceptances. And those moments definitely mattered. But the things that actually defined these years fell somewhere in between. 

Like scanning in every morning for attendance.

Like waiting in line for the burrito bar.

Like sitting at the same lunch tables without a second thought.

Like walking to the parking lot after a long day.

The routines we stopped noticing because they happened every day. The people we assumed we would always see tomorrow. The moments that felt small while we were living them, but now feel like the moments we’ll remember most. We assumed there would always be another assembly, another season, another Monday morning walking through the halls.

Looking back now, I hardly recognize the little girl who walked through these gates eight years ago.

I arrived at Poly in fifth grade. I was shy, insecure, and just trying to navigate a school that seemed so much bigger than me. Before joining Poly, I thought of school as something to get through, not somewhere that would shape who I was. If you had told me then that one day I would be standing here in front of all of you, I never would have believed you. But the teachers, mentors, and friends I found here changed my life. They helped me find my voice. They taught me to ask questions, challenge my assumptions, and stay curious even when there wasn’t an easy answer. And these lessons I learned here at Poly will shape everything that comes next. 

Poly became more than just the place we went to school. It became the place where we found our people, discovered our passions, and grew into ourselves. We may have all had different versions of Poly. But that’s exactly what makes this community so special. All of those different stories, different paths, and different experiences existed side by side. And somehow, they came together as one vibrant, supportive community. 

And I will forever be grateful that each and every one of you is a part of my version of Poly.

Congratulations, Class of 2026.