As part of their leadership work in the Alumni office, student Alumni Ambassadors have the unique task of looking further at the plaques every student passes in the hallways each day. Senior Max Novick chose to research the plaque of Eric Kester '04, his former Baseball Coach and English teacher. Max interviewed Eric to find out more about his highschool experience and carving process for his plaque, which features a trophy with an "Invictus" inscription, and a quote:
Max: As a three sport captain, Eric came off an undefeated football season his senior year. While a first glance at his plaque may indicate that sports were the only thing on his mind, his plaque goes beyond his identity as an athlete and incorporates his love for epic movies and Classics.
Max: Why did you decide to do a football trophy that says "Invictus" on it? I'm assuming it's for an undefeated season...
Eric: I chose to carve "Invictus" -- Latin for "unconquered" -- on the ISL trophy as an homage to our 8-0 football season. While Athletics were a crucial part of my Middlesex experience, I wanted to also recognize the incredible academic experience I had. Classics was my favorite subject (I studied both Latin and Greek), so this was a way I could integrate both athletics and academics into my plaque.
Max: Did other kids in your graduating class carve anything that related to your successful football season?
Eric: A number of my teammates have little symbols in their plaques to honor our football experience. I was so lucky to have such talented and devoted teammates; we were brothers on and off the field, and their influence on me has shaped the way I've tried to approach my life since Middlesex.
Max: Does your plaque have a symbolic meaning?
Eric: The quote in the corner of my plaque ("What we do in life...") is the first half of a quote that my younger sister Kirsten '05 finished on her plaque. Hers reads "...echoes in eternity." We overlapped for three years at Middlesex, and her presence there made my experience truly special. I'm happy that we got to "share" our plaques in a sense. It's a quote from the movie Gladiator, which is a great film, but what we liked best about the quote was the way it encapsulated the idea of plaques at Middlesex. Long after Kirsten and I are gone, our memories and experiences at Middlesex will live on through our plaques, echoing through the halls with all the other Middlesex graduates.