It was the beginning of a new week at Uphold Academy. A sense of anticipation was palpable in the air. Crypto Class was going to receive new classmates!

Mr Uphold motioned for the class to quiet down. He asked the three new students, Casper, Luna and Rune, to come to the front of the classroom. Some of his original students raised their heads to take a closer look. Others were practically jumping up from their seats. 

"Who would like to go first?" encouraged Mr Uphold.

Casper took a step forward quickly. Rumour had it that he was as fast as a cheetah.

"Hi there, my name is Casper but I'm not a friendly ghost. (Some of his classmates caught the cartoon reference and chuckled, with bemused looks on their faces," he said. "I'm a smart contract platform that aims to enhance scalability through a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) blockchain."

"I also aim to be everyone's ally," he elaborated. "That's why my blockchain is for public usage and is catered to enterprises' needs."

"I'm transiting to a PoS blockchain now in my attempt to evolve into the much-improved ETH 2.0," Ethereum piped up, a cheeky grin on his face. 

Casper and Ethereum exchanged knowing glances. A sense of kinship was forged right there.

Next, it was Luna's turn. She took a step forward shyly. 

"My name is Luna," she whispered.

"Bitcoin has changed the world by facilitating peer-to-peer transactions. I just want to build on his good work by introducing programmable payments that are safe and secure." she started to speak louder, buoyed by her new friends' eager faces.

"Are you the governance token of Terra?" Chainlink asked. 

This unexpected question took Luna by surprise. She nodded her head and then hid behind the broad build of Rune.

Finally, it was Rune's turn. All eyes were instantly drawn to him because of the steady presence he emanated. 

"Yo, I'm Rune," he said brightly. "I hope to get to know all of you well. My blockchain protocol will help you to swap crypto assets across multiple networks. Navigate in and out of the crypto space with me!" He threw his fist up into the air.

Crypto Class broke into boisterous applause spontaneously. All their eyes were instinctively turned to Mr Uphold to round up the self-introductions. 

"A hearty welcome again!" Mr Uphold's firm, yet gentle voice was music to their ears. "I trust that you three will enjoy your time with us."

This article was inspired by an email I received from Uphold.