By Viry Ayala

As the school year draws to a close, we must say goodbye to our own Ms. Arif. As sad as her parting may be to many—myself included—Ms. Arif leaves Latin in pursuit of her Masters’ degree  and to focus on achieving her goal of one day starting her own non-profit organization

For those who may have never had the good fortune of being one of her students, she has taught Global Cities: Power and Creativity in addition to classes like World Religions. She also  got up on stage last year to speak about the experience of the Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca Muslims attempt to attend once in their lives. Those who have come to know Ms. Arif in the four years she has been at Latin know that she will be missed greatly. “She’s a very caring person,” says sophomore Miles Alsberry. Whether it is the funny stories about her life she captivates her classes with, or her witty sarcasm that helps brighten up monotonous school days, Ms. Arif brings joy to everyone she encounters. “She’s hard, but fair,” says sophomore Catie Cronister, who was in Ms. Arif’s World Religions class this year. “And she manages to teach hard classes that are also interesting.” Even on days when she herself may have been stressed out about her busy schedule, Ms. Arif always managed to lend a kind and understanding ear if you ever needed to talk.

So we thank you, Ms. Arif, for the years you’ve been with us and all you’ve done in the community. We wish you well, and we’ll miss you!