To all of my fellow city dreamers,

I know that feeling. The way your heart drums at the sight of a skyline, the way your adrenaline sings at the sounds of the city. I've spent long enough of my life in a suburban town to know that I want more to experience.

As a junior, I'm nearing the end of my high school career. Soon enough I'll be starting not only a new school, but a new life. And I'm cherishing every single moment of my "childhood" because these years will prepare me for a new world of my own. Cozy neighborhoods and closely knit towns will be replaced with crowded dorms and climatic friend groups. Quiet nights spent studying in my living room will be replaced with vibrant mornings spent studying at a coffee shop or library.

I realized early on that college is my way out. There's so much more I want to do, want to learn, want to live for. Culture is being created every second in the populated cities of the nation, and I want to be a part of it. More is something I've been saying a lot, recently.

Because in a few years, I want to be that girl with stars in my eyes and ambition in my heart, with my fingertips stained with ink from the rough script of poems, and with ideas penned out on scraps of paper before they're forgotten. I want to be living with people more like me, who appreciate art and beauty for what it is and have incredible depth, and carry stories of lives I've never even thought to consider before. I want to explore areas where humanity has made it's mark, over and over and over again. And maybe I'll be in a city — I certainly hope so. But I know I'll be happy wherever I end up because it'll be through the guidance of my heart; Happiness is a priority you cannot afford to ignore.

No matter what your dream is, I can assure you that striving for it will make you a genuinely more happy person. Finding your purpose is hard, but having a dream could be the first step in becoming the ideal you. My dream is my future, and I know that I can make it a reality.

There's been some doubts. There are people doubt me. I know this much, because there will always be those who will want to restrain you to the familiar. Your family, your friends, even yourself. Often times, especially yourself.

Don't ever let them get to you. Ultimately, your life is yours and you should experience it the way you want to. Show your doubters that you dreamed, you did, and you succeeded.

Whether your dream may be of the city, a certain job, a different country, or a way of living, I wish you luck. You deserve this, I promise you that. The journey is the most important part, and if you're still on this planet, then your travel has already begun. Never give up in what you dream for yourself, because there is more to life than what other people dream for you.

All my love,

Krissy.