Amanda Peters Brennan ‘96 Welcomes the Class of 2026 to the Alumni Association

Amanda “Muffy” Shoenberg Peters Brennan ’96, Chair of the MICDS Alumni Association, welcomed its newest members, the Class of 2026, at their Commencement on May 18. Here are her remarks.

Class of 2026, it is my duty and sincere privilege to welcome each of you as the newest members of the MICDS Alumni Association.

Today, you join a community of thousands of alumni whose lives have been shaped, in important ways, right here: in these classrooms, these hallways, on these fields, these stages, and in the friendships and relationships built along the way. I am grateful to be one of many in my family, across several generations, who have known the lasting influence of this school. I have seen, again and again, that MICDS does not end at graduation. From this day forward, it is not only the school you attended. It is part of who you are, and you are now part of its continuing story.

I graduated from MICDS in 1996. And like you, I graduated into a world that felt exciting, uncertain, and sometimes overwhelming. That year brought extraordinary change, and, at the time, the future did not feel simple or settled.

I imagine that might feel particularly familiar to many of you right now.

You graduate at a moment when the world is changing quickly, when technology is reshaping how we learn, live, and work, when global events can feel very close, and when the path ahead may seem full of possibility and also hard to predict.

But here is what I hope you remember:

The world will change. What you have built here will go with you.

On the day of my Commencement from MICDS, I could not have predicted the life ahead of me. Since then, I have won an NCAA championship – go Middlebury field hockey! – lived in five different cities across two continents, traveled the world over, followed a rewarding career in Marketing, deepened friendships that still sustain me, married my best friend (also an MICDS alum!), and found the greatest happiness of my life in becoming a mother.

None of that unfolded in a straight line. Most meaningful lives do not. They twist and turn. Zig and zag. Go from up to down and back up again.

The world will change. What you have built here will go with you.

This year, you have seen that lesson quite literally on campus. Such incredible growth and change. Construction has meant detours, pivots, inconveniences, and daily reminders that progress can be messy before it becomes beautiful. But you also know that something worthwhile is being built, and that the temporary disruption will give way to something lasting.

That is true of campuses. It is true of schools. It is true of people.

This year also marks a meaningful transition for MICDS as we honor Jay Rainey’s leadership. Since 2019, Mr. Rainey has guided this school with integrity, imagination, and deep devotion to students, faculty, families, and the mission of independent school education. His tenure has included academic innovation, global engagement, major campus development, and a steady commitment to building a connected and inclusive community. We are all grateful for the ways he has helped MICDS grow while remaining deeply rooted in what makes this school special.

And now, Class of 2026, you become part of the larger MICDS community. You are leaving this physical campus, but you are not leaving behind the people, habits, values, and memories that shaped you here.

The world will change. What you have built here will go with you.

So stay connected. Come back for reunions. Visit teachers. Cheer for the Rams. Reach out to alumni when you need advice, a conversation, a connection, or simply a reminder that this community extends far beyond this campus.

On behalf of the Alumni Association and the generations of alumni who came before you, congratulations. Go into the world with courage, curiosity, humility, and joy. Make your mark. Remember your roots. And when the world changes, as it always will, trust that what you have built here will go with you.

Welcome to the Alumni Association, Class of 2026. We cannot wait to see what you will build.