As a freshman in high school, I used to walk down the halls clutching my books tight and avoiding eye contact with all upperclassmen. They looked so old, so smart, so pretty, so cool, and so mature. How do they do that? Would I be like that in four years? Classes went on, days passed, and, in a blink, three years flew by.

Now, I am here. I am that senior; I am the seemingly unobtainable goal, the title my head could hardly grasp, and the distant future, just three years ago.

It didn't happen overnight. It took three years of fun, messing up, and staying open minded, but I finally understand a fraction of what it means to learn, grow, and mature, and this is how I would explain it in a letter to my younger self:

Dear 15-year-old self,

Surround yourself with people who care about you, make you laugh, and push you out of your comfort zone. Then, don't let them go.

Be confident. Confidence is contagious, attractive, and correlates to success. Cocky is not confident. Competitive is not confident. Sometimes, these will get blurred, but just remember, all you have to be is you, all you have to beat is you, and all you have to prove is you.

Take hold and follow through with any inclination to try something new. Learn about a hidden passion, talent, or idea.

Live in the moment. Everything truly does happen for a reason. If you've ever played the word game where one person says a word and you see what the next thing you think of is, and then the next, and so on until time runs out, well, that's the simplest way to explain life. See where it takes you.

Above all, dance, sing, be happy, get excited about the smallest of things, and always save room for dessert.

Love,

An older me

I am still so young, and that makes me so excited. If I can learn this much about myself, others, and life in general in just a few years, I cannot wait to see what the next 75 years will entail.