Short Years

Trumbull College
Class of 2025
Cognitive Science

Jonathan Edwards College
Class of 2025
Computing & Linguistics

Audrey Hempel (Yale College '25) co-wrote this song with Will Min (Yale College ’25) at the beginning of their senior year. For Audrey, listening to her environment often involves observing the rhythms of life, noting the swift passage of their four years together, contrasting the seemingly endless semesters with moments where time stood still during their numerous performances on and off campus. Throughout her time at Yale, she has come to understand that music is the primary source of meaning in her life, and it is through music that she interprets her experiences.

As she and her classmates face the daunting question of what lies ahead after graduation, feelings of nostalgia, fear, and longing converge into inquiries about navigating change, choosing a direction, and remaining present in the time that remains. To release old patterns and the bittersweet nature of endings and beginnings, she reminds herself that answers may not be immediate. Instead, she chooses to embrace the beauty of the present moment. At the precipice of life after college, she intends to savor every lingering moment of her final year and, for now, set aside the questions of the future.