The beaver stands at the center of the Massachusetts Avenue bridge, halfway between Cambridge and Boston and overlooking the river. While it faces Boston and the future awaiting it and us, whom it represents, the beaver also looks back towards Cambridge, reminiscing over its time at MIT. In its hands, the beaver holds a diploma scroll that transforms into a key, as your time at MIT will open countless doors and opportunities. In that same spirit, the beaver wears a brass rat, as a symbol of connection to the class of 2022 and the Institute which harbors it, and the 155 Smoot represents our class being the 155th graduating class from the Institute. An ivy leaf is blown across the lower right corner, acknowledging our cross-registration opportunities at Harvard. Finally, getting an education from MIT is notoriously akin to taking a drink from a firehose, so a firehose can be found draped across the railing of the bridge.

The Cambridge bank of the Charles River is dominated by the Great Dome and other significant campus buildings. This year, we chose to open up the landscape to accommodate beautiful Killian court, on the one hand to celebrate this integral feature of the MIT campus, and on the other to remind us of the importance of the time we take to relax in between assignments. To the left of Killian, below the Student Center, is Kresge, the place we were united as a class for the very first time during orientation. To the right is Walker Memorial, with MIT’s unofficial motto “IHTFP” hidden in its columns as a reminder of the examinations taken there. The Green Building windows proudly spell out a “22”, while a pumpkin hurtles down its side accelerating at 9.81 m/s^2 in the downward direction, in honor of the great annual East Campus Pumpkin Drop.

In the foreground of the Boston bank glows the Citgo sign, arguably the brightest feature of the Boston skyline. Visible from dorms, main campus, and the bridge alike, it is an ever-present companion to our work. Below the sign is a lamppost in honor of the nights in which the Boston Commons were swarmed by fans, and lamps broken, in the aftermath of major victories by Boston sports teams. Behind it is a series of brownstone houses, featured to represent the FSILG communities and students residing on the other side of the bridge. The Prudential Center is another prominent feature in the skyline. It is a symbol of Boston’s economic renewal in the 60’s and 70’s, and stands alongside a crane, to represent the ongoing construction and development of the city. The New England Aquarium, where we held the first of our class outings, and one of the places we will take leave from one another in our senior year, can be found further back, near the Longfellow Bridge. Behind even that, the Red Line of the T streaks across the bridge.

Over the decades that students have been punting and tooling their way through MIT, the Charles River has run along its course much as it has for thousands of years. This year, we emphasize the constant flow of the water with a smooth, swirling texture. Two eddies curl into a 6 and 9, to celebrate the creation of the new 6-9 major. The class of 2022 was also the first test for MIT’s new PNR policy for GIRs, which has helped keep many of us afloat these past years. Consequently, the planks of the river dock river spell out the letters PNR. On the other side of the river, the MIT Engineers beaver debuts on the Brass Rat, swimming down the MIT Crew Racecourse as bystanders cheer it on from the shore, in recognition of MIT’s athletes and athletic program. Finally, a Tech Dingy skippered by a pirate leans into the wind, a nod to the pirates license built into our PE program. Amidst the stars the moon wanes, its phase that of our graduation day. The stars themselves, peppered across the night sky, forming part of a caffeine molecule which is completed by landmarks on the ring. Our skyline features a shooting star in memory of those classmates who will not be with us when we walk on graduation day.