Dear Junior Year,
I was terrified of you since the day I first heard of you. Sleepless nights, overloaded schedules and college plans were soon to become the bane of my existence. I wasn’t really sure what to expect for myself, but I was certainly prepared for the worst. Even though things turned out to be tough, you have taught me so many things that I am endlessly thankful for.
You taught me how to balance life. Time management was essential this past year; the balance between social life, extracurriculars, academics and sleep is key to staying healthy and happy. Thank you, junior year, for teaching me how to say no when I should be productive and allowing me to set aside time to enjoy my life when things aren’t as crazy.
You showed me who my true friends are. Every stressed person shows their true self when they don’t have as much time to pretend to be friendly, so thank you for showing me who is actually going to be there at the end of the day. These are the friends I want to keep forever, and I only recognize them now because of you.
You taught me independence. Constantly driving from place to place, being responsible for my own appointments and mapping out my busy week every Sunday night helped prepare me for the responsibilities I’ll have to take on as an adult.
The sleepless nights were miserable, but they weren’t as prevalent as others made it seem. It was a tough year for sure, but thank you, junior year, for teaching me so much about myself and about those around me. Thank you for giving me a glimpse of what the real world may be like. Thank you for not destroying me completely even when things seemed hopeless.
Sincerely,
Pooja Sharma