Dear my annoying sister that I love,

High school is not the best four years of your life, it is for sure the most frustrating. It’s the years where you feel like you have more freedom but want so much more. You can drive your sophomore year, yet you still live under our parent’s rules. You have to wake up early to be confined to classrooms for seven hours. Yes, it is better than middle school but it still sucks, I’m not going to sugar coat it for you.

My freshman year was an interesting year to say the least. It was exciting because it was so new but also stressful because it was so different. I wish teachers taught me in a way that would prepare me for college or vocational school. You can’t pick your schedule and it’s frustrating because you feel like you’re sitting in a class that will never benefit you in life, and it’s completely true. As a sophomore in college I can confidently say that about three classes in all of my high school years have been beneficial now and those were college course classes during my senior year.

Friendships will come and go and I cannot express to you enough how much high school drama does not matter. While you know me, and know that I don’t surround myself with drama in the first place, even if I wasn’t like that I would still be expressing this to you. The relationships you have formed now and will form over the next four years will change and that is, OK. You just need to accept that it is bound to happen. You will grow, but some of the people you surround yourself with, will not. Never let anyone pressure you into doing anything you don’t want to, or just call me first. The stress of regret or failing a class is not worth it!

Try your best, because even though it may feel like it is pointless the years after high school are not. I can honestly say I found my person in high school and hopefully you will find that person too. You’ll need someone to be there with you as you go through the process of what you want to do after high school. While that may feel very far away, it’s not. Your GPA now will affect your GPA your senior year, and you need that GPA to continue with life after these four years of torture. Don’t take the easy way out. My senior year I opted to take college level classes because they are the only type of classes that will actually affect your life, and I was tired of sitting in a class that was going to do nothing for me.

These are exciting years and you will learn a lot about yourself and who you want to be in the future. Relationships with other people are not nearly as important as the relationship you form with yourself. No one knows you better than you, never try to be someone that you’re not. You are a beautiful person inside and out and of anyone in the next four years tries to tell you that you’re not, call me so I can meet up with them and settle some things. Don’t take anytime for granted because these easy years will end and college will come, but I promise college is the best four years of your life and I am so excited to help you with that process.

Love you.