Congratulations to Salutatorian Erin Eswein! This fall, Erin will be attending Boston College for Business Management and hopes to eventually become a business owner. When discussing her academic journey and how she reached this high level of achievement, Erin explains that she was consistent throughout her high school years, making sure to take a class in each major subject area every year. However, she admits that academics can sometimes be stressful, especially during junior year when taking Advanced Placement classes for the first time and trying to balance school with extracurriculars. Erin notes a common misconception: that ranking high academically means a student must focus only on school and won’t have time to do other things. She insists this isn’t true, stating, “As long as you are on top of your work and try your best in every class, you can achieve high grades while still having time for sports, clubs, and a social life.”

Erin would like to give a special shout-out to Mr. Pugh, the AP Calculus teacher at Somerville High School. AP Calculus was one of the most difficult classes she took in her high school career, but Mr. Pugh was always available and happy to help her. The early morning and study hall extra help sessions really benefited her. Additionally, Erin would like to give a shout-out to Ms. Violante; her fun and interesting Forensics course was Erin’s favorite high school class. Other sources of inspiration that helped empower Erin include musical artists like Billie Eilish and Noah Kahan, whose music was on repeat throughout late-night study sessions. She also cites the film Matilda as a lifelong inspiration and a childhood comfort movie. Throughout her time at SHS, Erin was involved in Interact Club and Photography Club, and she played club ice hockey for many years. These activities helped inspire her further as well.

Some of Erin’s favorite memories include prom and prom weekend. She had lots of fun hanging out with her friends at the dance and then going to Wildwood for the weekend. Activities like walking on the beach, going out to eat, exploring the boardwalk, and watching Love Island were all highlights. Erin would definitely classify it as a core memory. If she could send a time-traveling text message to herself on the first day of freshman year, she would tell her younger self not to worry so much about grades—because she will be fine—and to just enjoy high school because it does not last forever. Her advice to others is not to limit themselves: try new sports, clubs, and extracurriculars early on, and decide what you enjoy the most. She explains that high school is a better experience when you are doing what you like with people you like.

Erin hopes that people will remember the school spirit and competitiveness of the Class of 2026. How the class always wanted to win in sports, Battle of the Classes, and how fun the Pack was during basketball and football games. Erin would like to end this with a quote she found as a freshman: “Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” -Ella Fitzgerald