End of an Era: A Bittersweet Conclusion for Early Graduates

As the fall semester comes to a close, winter break is calling. But for two Haverford students, the upcoming week is about more than grinding out finals and eating late-night breakfast: it will be their last week as college students.

K Zhang ’26 and Camille Roberts ’26, two enthusiastic Chemistry majors, are graduating early. Both were members of the Class of 2025 and took time off from Haverford at one point in their college careers. Their motivations for finishing out the year early vary, but their passion for the community is unwavering.

 Zhang, a double major in Anthropology, wrote a joint thesis concerning the effects of reduced light exposure on the well-being of residents of Fairbanks, Alaska. For Roberts’s thesis, she analyzed data from Chemistry students concerning the pedagogical strategies of Thermodynamics courses taught at Haverford. Both took advantage of the Chemistry department’s flexible guidelines to craft unique senior projects.

Graduating a semester early is no easy feat. At the beginning of the Fall 2025 semester, Zhang decided that she wanted to make it happen, leading to a condensed thesis process and a scramble to complete course requirements. She is particularly thankful for the help and understanding of her thesis advisors, Professor of Chemistry Alex Norquist and Associate Professor of Anthropology Joshua Moses, who believed in her ability to span disciplines and fast-track a notoriously difficult senior project. 

Roberts, who had been planning to graduate early since last spring, describes the disconnect she experienced while attending Chemistry Senior Seminar with peers on different journeys than that of her own. “Everyone was presenting their thesis last semester, and I was like, mine’s not done. Everything was off.” She explains that because Haverford is a small school, certain course requirements are only offered during specific semesters, leading her to take most of her upper-level coursework with students in the year below her own. “It was hard,” she says. “I’m happy that I’m not here for another semester, because our graduating class has already left.”

Although it feels like they are about to enter another world, neither graduate is going far. Zhang is heading to medical school at Thomas Jefferson University in the fall of 2026, and Roberts will be working with students at a local elementary school. Zhang is focused on making the most of her free time, as she knows it will be fleeting. She plans to take a cross-country road trip, volunteer as an educator at community clinics, and visit China to see her family. Roberts just wants to fill her cup.

The soon-to-be graduates cite the importance of seeking enjoyment, both while at Haverford and in their future lives away from the school. Roberts says that her newfound hobbies, such as disc golf and hiking, have given her “something separate from school… something that feels really ‘you’ that you hold onto after you graduate.” After Haverford, she wants to give back to the world and honor her identity by participating in a year of Quaker Voluntary Service.

The conclusion to their undergraduate careers has not been what they expected, but both are making the most of the situation. Roberts does not want to say her final goodbyes to Haverford until May’s Commencement, when she plans to walk the stage. She will, however, be going out to lunch with her advising dean, Teresa Tensuan, who has played a large role in her Haverford career, and her first-year Writing Seminar professor, Terry Snyder, whose class she calls “my favorite I’ve ever taken at Haverford.” 

Zhang is soaking up every last moment on campus. She is making an effort to eat at the Dining Center and say her goodbyes to its employees, especially Frank the pizza man, with whom she enjoys discussing rock music. She is also writing thank-you cards to campus fixtures like the Campus Safety staff and Nicky Miranda and Justyce Pollitt from the Fitness Center, “folks that I won’t directly get to say goodbye to in a way.” To her, they complete the campus, which is why she included their names in the acknowledgements section of her thesis. She wants to remember them.

Neither student is saying goodbye to Haverford forever. They have faith that the connections they established here are lifelong. Roberts still has a semester left in the area, which she intends to use to re-familiarize herself with the city of Philadelphia, whose proximity is an integral part of the Haverford experience. Zhang adopts a more sentimental approach, describing Haverford as a “pretty special place” that has “such a strong sense of community as a college.” Here, she found support and mentorship. It’s why she came here. It’s why she loves it here. And it’s why it feels hard to leave.