Dear younger Marta,

As this letter is being written, it is the last day of your first semester of college. The past few weeks have been unbelievably stressful, but we made it. This time last year we were barely surviving high school and thinking it would never end. But now, after a few months of difficult adjustments, life could not be any better.

High school was not the best four years of our life. We lost friends, lost loved ones, and was unsure as to who we were. High school felt like it would never end and that nothing would ever get any better. I am telling you now that things do get better. Things get so much better. The feelings of hopelessness and not being good enough have almost vanished. Many people will continue to tell you that high school is the easiest and best four years of your life, and all I can you is to not believe them. College is a lot of hard work and late nights doing homework, but we have grown so much over the last four months. We are much more open-mind, and our desire to learn and keep working hard are greater than ever. Also, the friends you make in college are going to be some of the most amazing people you will ever meet in your entire life.

I know life is hard and you are longing for something more. High school feels limiting and insignificance, and I won't argue that it isn't, but there is so much to look forward to. Your self-confidence increases drastically, and you begin to see yourself more positively. College is about freedom and finding where you belong. I am proud to tell you that we have without a doubt found where we are supposed to be at this point in our lives. It is so much more than we ever thought it would be.

P.S. You get an "A" in at least two of your classes, so don't worry too much about what your grades will be like.

With all my love,

18 year old Marta