Dearest Family and Friends,
As a recent high school graduate, I have learned many lessons of life over the span of three weeks. The most prominent of these lessons being that not everyone wants to see you run in the direction of your dreams, but instead run in the direction of theirs. If you plan on going to college and pursuing a degree with an untraditional major, you are already seen as disadvantaged to some. I will never understand why someone would try and steer someone away from what gives their life meaning, but I have experienced my share of people trying.
That is why I want to say thank you. I am lucky enough to also have people in my life that want to see me find success in my dream profession. I'm also fortunate enough to have people that want to be around to support me on my journey there. If you know that you are one of these people, this letter is for you. You are the people that asked me what I would be able to do with my degree instead of asking if I'll actually make any money. You are the people that asked what about my major makes me excited for the rest of my life instead of if I'll actually be able to find a job. You are the people who gave me the drive to succeed instead of putting me down in an attempt to change my mind. You are the people giving me the motivation to try my hardest for this next chapter of my life. I will never be able to praise you enough for encouraging me the way that you did.
This is why I also want to make a declaration and a promise in this letter. Graduation has made me more excited than I've ever been to go out and make myself a place in this world. This next period of my life is my chance to show everyone how much I really want to be successful and how hard I'm willing to work for it. That being said, this is my promise to everyone in my life thinking I can do it. I can, and I will apply myself more than I ever have in these years to come. I will not give up when obstacles come my way but instead find a way over them. Most importantly, I will not let anyone stop me, including myself, until I manifest my dream life.
Thank you for everything,
An aspiring student