Dear NYU Shanghai,It’s hard to believe we’ve finally reached this point. For some of us, it’s just the end of another year of university. For others, it’s the end of university. Four years after the world’s greatest “What if…,” the Class of 2017 is getting ready to walk across the commencement stage for the first time. Like the Empire State Building in New York, the Pearl Tower will light up NYU purple, and in just one afternoon, NYU Shanghai will have its first alumni. It may be a year of ending things, but it’s also been a year of beginnings at NYU Shanghai. For the first time, four full classes of students were enrolled. It was the first year Vice Chancellor Jeffrey Lehman did not teach the foundational GPS course. It was the first year for both Shanghai Disneyland and new NYU President Andrew Hamilton, and the first time NYU Shanghai began accepting IB and AP test score credit (much to the chagrin of the senior class). As every year at NYU Shanghai, this year was an adventure at NYU Shanghai as we all navigated these changing environments together. After all, after this year, NYU Shanghai will always be a full-fledged four-year university. No other class will get to say that they attended a school that had no graduated class. At On Century Avenue, we’ve worked hard and done our best to capture the spirit of NYU Shanghai during this transformative year. Now, with our Senior Issue, we’re bringing the year to a close with a celebration of the Class of 2017 and four years of NYU Shanghai. Our final special issue is dedicated totally to the Class of 2017. Between the latest news about our fledgling alumni programs and senior superlatives from the Class of 2017 Commencement Committee, don’t forget to look over our #Throwback list, recounting the weirdest memories from ECNU to the AB. Various members of the Class of 2017 also shared their reflections, letters, and memories with us, memorializing the crazy four year journey that brought us to this point. It has been a year of growth--for NYU Shanghai, for the Class of 2017, and for us at On Century Avenue. Thank you for letting us share your stories and for another incredible year at NYU Shanghai. And thank you to the Class of 2017--from us at On Century Avenue, congratulations on an incredible four years and best of luck in wherever your journey takes you from this point. See you next year, NYU Shanghai!OCA Managing Board 2016-2017 Savannah Billman, Arshaun Darabnia, and Lathika Chandra Mouli This article was written by Editorial Staff. Please send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Arshaun Darabnia