I know what you're thinking, its your first year of high school, your first year of some what freedom. You are one step closer to graduation day, closer to college, closer to starting your own life. You can't wait to begin everything on your own, you think you're grown. WRONG.

Freshman year is filled with a lot of firsts, first real boyfriends, first kiss, etc. Life is going to change a lot for you this year. This year matters so much, its when colleges start paying attention to everything you do. You'll be able to be so much more involved in the school. Trust me, take every opportunity you have handed to you.

Go to every home football game with your friends, spend lunch with the ones who make your soul happy. Enjoy all the fests, fundraisers, dancing, clubs, teams, everything. Every free test the school offers, take it. Every camp you can go to, do it. High school is a time for you to flourish, to grow as an individual. Throughout the years of high school, you will have so many oppurtunities to do things as long as you're willing to search for them.

You will meet people who you feel like you are barely compatible with and quickly realize they're some of the best people in the world. Don't miss out on things that will be fun just because you think that other people will think that you're weird. Be yourself. Do not worry about what the crowd is doing, simply focus on you. Once you get through the next 4 years everything will become so scary. You won't see the exact same faces you've seen for years, high school can be the best years of your life, make them count.

Sincerely, a Senior