Wondering and Hoping

Traditions can do so much more than mark the passing of time.

At Wake Forest, our holiday and end of semester traditions, like Pitsgiving, Lighting of the Quad, and Lovefeast, gather us together in friendship and community. They encourage us to pause, to spend a moment in wonder; to appreciate the simple but transformative beauty of a meal among friends, of a light in the darkness, of warmth in the cold and stillness in the rush.

At those events, I am – like I believe many of us are – filled with peace, joy, and an enduring hope for Wake Forest. I look around at the friends, classmates, and colleagues side by side and feel so sure of the power of relationships and community – so truly amazed by the people of Wake Forest. I feel grateful and resolute in the belief in the goodness of humanity.

When we all return after winter break, how will we ensure the hope and wonder we felt in the warmth of those special events is not forgotten as we dive back into classes, and meetings, and to-do lists? When the world presents us once more with challenge, or tragedy, how will we remember those lights in the dark?

Hope and wonder are more than feelings – they are verbs. To a university, hope and wonder are essential ways of being, eliciting the necessary energy to generate change. Wonder is the starting point of inquiry; it is what draws our students into the lab, what sends our faculty into the archives, and what ensures our staff devise better, more people-centered approaches. Hope is the fuel that gives us the courage to ask tough questions, pursue those inquiries, to persist through difficult times. Wonder and hope together adjust our focus and give us resilience; and when practiced regularly – they are catalysts. 

A simple act of wonder can shift one’s focus from the weight of the task to the opportunity of a challenge. This comes from making time to be truly present and open to learning more: to notice the changing light on the Quad, to appreciate the simple elegance of an idea expressed clearly in class, or to marvel at the talent and dedication of a colleague. When we lead with wonder, uncertainty is replaced with curiosity.

In moments of challenge and success alike, hope is critical. Hope is not the blind assurance that all is fine, but an active conviction that our efforts, guided by our values, matter. It is the deep and abiding belief in our capacity to grow, in the ability of our research to heal, and in the power of our community to come together. An active hope like this takes courage and commitment.

While our traditions can help us access wonder and hope at key points on the calendar, I encourage us to cultivate these practices regularly in our daily lives, year round. This is a continuous invitation to be curious enough to wonder, to be brave enough to hope – and it is what we at Wake Forest mean when we say we live and work for humanity. 

As 2026 arrives, I trust in our being a Wake Forest that is actively amazed and profoundly hopeful as we embrace our traditions and as we forge exciting new paths forward. We are not just educating minds; we are cultivating leaders that can seek out and sustain hope and wonder, day in and day out.