Little Brother,

It is your first year in college, and it is the last year for me. It is weird to think that even though we are a little less than two years apart in age, that is seems like we belong to different worlds. My world has me wrapping up my education to move onto a career that I have been aspiring towards for a few years now, while you are just now stepping into the pool of college education and getting a grasp at any future career that might seem like yours. You are testing the waters of the future while my waters are becoming a reality a lot quicker than I thought.

I love to see you grow and learn new things about both yourself and the world around you. I am watching as you make decisions that I had to make as well, but you go a completely different route. Little brother, listen to me as you read this, since the few years in college will go by probably even faster for you as they did for me. Be yourself- learn to love yourself, most importantly what the society around you labels as 'flaws'. Be open-minded, and learn to love not only yourself, but your friends and family and the culture around you. But, do not grow too tolerant and accept everything that this world has to offer as truth-use your critical thinking skills and narrow down your thoughts and decisions into a core set of beliefs that you can hold true to yourself.

College is rough. You learn how to manage your time wisely, and you really learn how important sleep is. Sleep is what you need, and sometimes it seems like a good idea to skip out on sleep to spend time with friends or even to study. But most of the time this will cause a fall back and you will be struggling even more so throughout the semester, year, and the future years if you do not value your sleep, just like I didn't.

I have valued hard work and finishing the race early--the benefit is that I am graduating a whole year earlier than I thought, but I have (and still am) paying the cost of this benefit-- the workload. Taking 20 credits every semester, as well as working 2+ part time jobs does take a toll on a person, and to me, this toll is worth the benefits. Please, look into yourself and don't push yourself to the breaking point. You know yourself better than anybody else does. Do what you feel is the best for you. Remember, what other people speak into your life is just advise from their viewpoint--nothing else. If what someone says to you is not valid in your eyes, then do not take it to heart. Sometimes, you know what you need better than anybody else.

Little brother, I love you with all my heart and hope to see you succeed in life. I am always an open door with resources that you might have not known has existed. I hope that you enjoy this crazy journey in your life even more than I did.

XOXO, Big Sister