This is it. You are walking into your last first day of high school with your head held high, confident in everything that you have grown to know over these last four years. Appreciate those friends that you are catching up with in the halls after going the summer without seeing them now because there will be a time next year, when these familiar faces will disappear, along with those relationships. That is okay, it will happen, and having that happen is a part of life. Just enjoy and appreciate the comforting presence of your fellow classmates now while you are able to.
This year is going to be big for you, but it is important to remember that you are going to have to lose sight of yourself and fall down a few times before everything will click into place. My biggest piece of advice to you will be to not expect anything. You may think that you have your life figured out as you know it, but you have no idea what is in store for you for the future. There will be heartbreaking times where you work incredibly hard for something that you will not get- whether it be a denied college acceptance, a missed opportunity for a captaincy, or losing a coveted spot in some type of organization. This is going to break your heart, but it will make you stronger, and most importantly, ground and humble you.
Senior year is a groundbreaking year for losing and developing relationships. People will leave your life; in fact, you will lose some of the most important people to you this year. It will feel like the end of the world when this is happening, but remember that they are only leaving your life to make room for new people who will soon mean just as much to you. Always be open to those new friendships; a person that you have known for the past twelve years that you may have never spoken to just might become a good friend. Always look to rekindle friendships too. You never know- you might reconnect and relate with an old friend like nothing ever changed.
Please do not be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. If a group of people outside of your normal group of friends invites you to something, go. If there is a Friday night football game or a soccer championship, go. There will be a time where you look back and treasure the memories where your whole school came together as one over something just as simple as high school sports.
Use your teachers to your fullest advantage. Develop relationships beyond just classwork, and get to know them as people. Your teachers may surprise you and teach you more about life than you would have initially expected them to. You may actually teach them a thing or two as well, and there is nothing better than having a close friendship with someone older than you that you can trust and confide in.
Always spend time with people who make you feel at peace with yourself. Take every opportunity that you can to enjoy time with your friends, whether it be going out to dinner on some random Tuesday night, or scream singing with the windows down at one in the morning on a Friday. Because next year, five minute drives or walks into the kitchen will turn into FaceTime calls and scattered text messages, and you do not yet know what it feels like to miss those that you have surrounded yourself with for your entire life more than your heart can comprehend. Wait until the last second possible to experience that feeling. Spend time with those you love now and appreciate every last detail of your experiences. Trust me.
What I am trying to say is that your senior year is one like no other. You will find yourself more in these short ten months than you ever have before in your life. Never hold anything back. Let things happen as they are supposed to, and never try to force anything that is not meant to be. The worst thing you could ever do to yourself is to fight what life is trying to throw at you. All I can say is to go about each day with a smile on your face, and a will to enjoy everything that your day could possibly throw at you. Oh, and try not to take homework so seriously second term. You are done with that, enjoy being a senior.
With love,
You As A College Freshman
