Jamol Aines Mar Otae Lettman (J.A.M.O.L.), the 2012 graduation class speaker, sauntered down the senior path donning a fresh, bright Atlanta Flames hat and a dark Metallica t-shirt—a stark contrast from the once awkward freshman day-student rolling his black backpack through the halls. Nobody could predict the transformation that would take four tortuous, yet blink-of-an-eye years. Now, a witty and humor-blessed senior boarder, Lettman has surely matured during his Loomis Chaffee career. J.A.M.O.L. began his career at Loomis as a day-student, but decided to become a boarder in his sophomore year, as he felt that because he was not at Loomis constantly, his full involvement with the community was inhibited. Clearly, even as a underclassman J.A.M.O.L. was eager to make his mark on the Loomis community.
As Lettman speaks, commanding the attention of all those around him, beginning with his light-hearted comical tone, he shifts from his jocular diction to serious, intellectual contemplation. “The other candidates were all qualified as well. I am very honored and excited that my classmates have chosen me to speak at graduation,” Lettman said. Humble yet proud, Lettman expressed obvious excitement at the prospect of speaking today, at the Commencement ceremonies, in front of his peers and their families.
His inspiration to pursue a prominent role in the ceremonies came from his older brother, Senior. A self-confident, funny, witty, and smart guy—a total boss—Senior has always encouraged J.A.M.O.L. to do his best and to explore new opportunities. As for his motivation to become class speaker,  Lettman said, “I wanted to be the class speaker because I’ve become very interested in public speaking and it is always an honor to speak in front of the student body, parents, and faculty.” He continued to express that he thrives as the center of attention, making this role perfect for him.
When asked what route he intends to take with his speech, a sly smile emerges on his face. He plans to include notable memories, special shout-outs, clever jokes, light-hearted remarks regarding faculty members, and, of course, a promotion for his nonexistent mix tape, which  J.A.M.O.L. jokingly  claims “contains the usual - partying, getting girls, skipping class. I even have some diss tracks about the upperclassmen deans on there, so basically it’s a complete representation of my life.” Essentially, he aims to strike the perfect balance between laughter and sentiment: directly appealing to the bulk of the student body. Also, J.A.M.O.L. intends to mention a favorite memory from sophomore year: gathering around the back-corner lunch table during 6th periods and laying down some beats, training for his imaginary mix tape. J.A.M.O.L. also said he extended his talents for public speaking while preforming on the NEO stage this spring, in the student casted, led, and directed One Acts. Playing the evil Frosty the Psycho, J.A.M.O.L., demanding attention, had the audience hanging on each of his hilariously evil words. Just like his performance in the NEO, J.A.M.O.L.’s speech will command the attention of each and every Commencement attendee.
 A dedicated Loomis student, J.A.M.O.L. says he loves and will miss the beautiful campus and the close-knit feeling of the Loomis community. He aspires to return to Loomis Chaffee one day as a dean. Returning as a dean would be the one way he believes he can give back to the community, and thus instill the many invaluable lessons he learned here to other future Pelicans. Whether stealing the NEO spotlight or playing a pick-up basketball game after school, J.A.M.O.L., dripping with swag, does everything he can to the best of his ability. Loomis Chaffee will miss J.A.M.O.L.’s intrinsic ability to make others smile and laugh. J.A.M.O.L. will end his Loomis Chaffee career as the class speaker, and ultimately as a student who made Loomis a better experience for everyone. University of Connecticut will be lucky to have J.A.M.O.L. light up their campus in the coming academic year.