An Open Letter To A High School Senior,

It is official. May 1st has come and gone and now you are committed to a college. You are taking the next big step of your life by furthering your education. But wait, wasn’t it just yesterday you started high school? Time flew. You made friends, tried out for sports teams, competed in academic events, made the theater your home, or even worked yourself so hard in school you let it all fly by without even noticing. Your Senior Prom has passed and it's becoming realistic that high school is slowly coming to a close.

For most, you cannot wait. You spent the last four years complaining about how much you wanted out and when you step into the real world, you’ll only wish to go back. You took for granted not having to pay a single penny for a book or even seeing your best friend every day. Your classroom went from having 40 students to 350 and the teacher not even knowing your name. You become a small fish in a big pond overnight and it is terrifying.

My biggest advice is to thrive off of that scared feeling. Overcome it and work hard so you never feel that way again. You are on your own now, you have to start fighting for yourself because you want to. Your parents will be there to cheer you on no matter what but you must remain self-motivated. You must ignite a spark within yourself to chase your dreams and let nothing stand in your way.

You have to take risks. Sometimes there will be rewards and sometimes there will be consequences. It really is a gamble but you have to stay focused. You do not know what you are capable of until you put your mind to it.

Most importantly, enjoy these next couple of weeks before you walk across that stage and are official a high school graduate. Make time to be with your friends, go to the activities --even if they are lame-- and live in the moment. Typically, we become so fixated on what is next that we forget what is going on right in front of our own eyes that whether your college is out of state, 3 hours away, or 45 minutes down the road, how you choose to spend the next four years before you head off into the real world is entirely up to you. You must enjoy birthday parties with your family or the trips to the local coffee shop (which you know your new city does not have) and bask in the beauty of life. You will do great in whatever you do as long as you stay true to yourself. I believe in you and know you will succeed because I was you last year. Look at me know, I survived a year of amazing opportunities and some roadblocks after high school. However, here I am living and breathing a stronger person because of all of it.

As you turn your tassel on that hot summer night, you have just opened up a new chapter of endless possibilities. The world is yours, go make something great out of it.

With Love,