Dear former peers,
Thank you. If it weren’t for you, I would have never graduated high school early; if it weren’t for you, I would have never had such an amazing freshman year of college these past 9 months, where I realized my potential as both a human being and a student.
I have always loved learning, but I hated high school. You constantly ostracized me, leaving me less than satisfied. I was taught that I was never enough: not thin enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough. I was taught that I would never find people who appreciate me- people that I could actually call my friends. Because of this, I doubled up my classes junior year and left a whole 12 months early, never looking back, and I couldn’t be more content with my decision.
I haven’t seen or spoken to any of you since graduation, and I am beyond okay with that. That place was toxic, and I did not belong, which was made clear very early on. Once your mommies and daddies stopped forcing you to invite your entire class to your birthday parties, I wasn’t invited anywhere. I spent my time reading, writing, and immersing myself in music, and because of that, I am who I am today. I am an English/Communications major in college with a concentration in journalism. I am the soon-to-be editor of the Arts & Entertainment section of my college’s newspaper. I am the editor-in-chief of my school’s Odyssey community. I am successful.
While you are finishing up your senior year, I am living out my dreams with people that actually care about me. I have already experienced so much more than you in the past 36 weeks. While you are moping around 9th-period gym class, I am learning the Aristotelian Traditional Square of Opposition from a multi-cultural professor with a triple Ph.D.
Summer is coming, and I’ll be home in two weeks…a bittersweet moment. On one hand, I get to see my family and my pets, but on the other hand, I’ll be in the same town as all of you; the same town that I never went to play dates or sleepovers in. I’ve outgrown my high school self, yet I still fear seeing you in public after years of mistreatment. I just assumed that I deserved to be treated like half a person, but after going away to college I know that isn’t the case. I now see that I have such potential with my work as a young student journalist, and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead.
I still see you on Instagram or Facebook, and I still like to check up on what you are all up to; I spent 12 years of my life with you guys, how could I not care at least a little? We’ve gone our separate ways, and that’s okay. Soon you’ll all be off to different colleges and will be able to see things the way I do. Being out of high school, you change: you grow. You meet new people who allow you to blossom into someone you never knew was inside of you. I wish you all the best on your adventures into adulthood and hope you can find success as I have.
Sincerely,
A girl who has grown
