Dear 14 year old me,

Well, you are a mess right now; socially, physically, & emotionally. This is not like junior high at all; the building has no air-conditioning, you have to take gym AND technology classes every other day, you actually have essays to write and are expected to make a works cited for everything (plagiarism is alive and illegal, hun), and you have to build up a cumulative GPA (whatever that means, dad just says you need a 3.0). It sounds intimidating now, but think of it this way, you're preparing for many milestones that you cannot even imagine how to achieve with and without direction right now! Before the next four years fly by (2016 may seem far away now, but just wait), you're going to meet various people that have lived within 10-20 minutes away from you for years now that could soon become some of your best friends. In high school, you will learn proper ways to edit papers (you have no clue what you'll be getting into college...yet, and that is okay for now), you can get involved in anything and everything. On top of things inside school, there come the things you'll learn for the rest of your life! You'll learn how to drive a car; soon enough, you won't be asking yourself, Google, mom, or dad, "which one is the brake pedal?" or maybe "how do I drive on that scary road with a bunch of cars rushing towards Chicago? And what is that road called?". However, I notice some things about you that are not really you. You've started to wear liquid eyeliner on both your inner and outer eye lines or you never really associated with people that were outside of your so-called "clique". You have no clue how to do your own laundry properly; the machines themselves seem like rocket science. More importantly, you are starting to care so much about what other people think about you in the wrong direction. With changing schools and being dubbed "the freshie", you take in so much negativity from everyone that you never find the time to focus on yourself or your happiness; you're too caught up with what others think or do instead of yourself and that is not healthy. You just want those brand new sparkly Uggs or that annoying Macklemore one-hit wonder that rocked the beginning of 2013 because "everyone else is getting it". However, you have so many things already in front of you that you take for granted. You are materialistic, yet emotionally sensitive and let minor bumps in the road get to your pretty little head. I guess it is completely natural now, but think of it from a positive perspective for once. This is the only beginning. Freshman year of high school is not an easy adjustment; you get thrown under the belt to prepare for this scary, independent adventure called college; you also have to prepare for this so-called ACT test that is a "make or break" for your college applications. What is a good score? How do I prepare for college? Well, little freshie, you have to continue taking classes and making sure you get that geometry grade up to passing so you don't have to sit around in summer school. Also, getting involved with activities and meeting new people will not only allow you to have more social time, but could also motivate you to get those grades and opportunities you want for your future classes and aspirations. You are simply embarking on a new adventure without any given instructions right off the bat, so you're easing into your mistakes and learning from them; completely normal! More personal advice, enjoy your first homecoming week, enjoy making the mistakes and learning from poor grades and learning to prioritize the ones who are there to support you and your aspirations. Yes, there are going to be teachers here and there who tell you "You can't," but your goal is to say "Yes, I can" and prove them wrong. Also, little freshie, you NEED to ask questions and make those connections; this is good practice for college and networking. Of course, you won't understand the definition of networking for another four years because we would be dipping into an extended version of your brain's dictionary. Additionally, go ahead and make the mistakes of caring too much about that petty boy you caught feelings for that dumped you after a month of dating because he "needed space". Experiment your hair color fifty million times; put yourself out there, but without getting the wrong idea of course. You'll learn and laugh from these people, mistakes, and traumatic events as you grow older and unfortunately reflect back on how dumb you were. There will be days where you may just simply need to take a breather and reflect on how you are doing in school and how you are feeling about the community. You also should build a path in advance to stick with so you get a sense of managing your time, social life, and money; yes you need a part-time job, too, but of course you'll have to wait until you're 16 for that big milestone. Overall, just remember to keep your head high, set goals, do not develop negativity or any social paranoia for any setbacks (you are at the bottom of the food chain, do not be surprised if you do not make that Acapella group for sophomore year or you do not get that callback for the fall play; the upperclassmen have less time than you do and you need room to grow and learn how to balance your roles and skills in groups like they have). You are 14 years old, you are now opening the doors to your soon-to-be independence. Wow, so, a job, good grades, the ACT, classes, and activities. What is next you are wondering? Well, all I can say now is to enjoy the rollercoaster called High School. Good luck, little freshie.

Sincerely,

18 year old me