Dear Girl,

I'm in your shoes. We're in the same boat, sister. I feel uncomfortable writing this. I never really thought that I would. I just got rejected from something I've been working for, for a very long time. I got rejected from something that is supposed to confirm the person that I am- everything that I am.

I'm going to get right to the point, because I don't like to BS, and I'm sure that you don't either if you're anything at all like me. This weekend, I received a letter of rejection from my school's chapter of a national, elite honor society at my school. This is an Elite Society that essentially confirms your citizenship, leadership, service and overall character. Everything that I hold close to my heart and define myself as. I can't even lie- I never expected to receive this letter. I've honestly just been waiting for my acceptance letter, not really nervous because I know how hard I have worked to get where I'm at. My whole fantasy of acceptance and excitement was crushed when I saw a checkbox in "Needs More Community Service." The feelings that I felt when my eyes saw the words "We regret to inform you..." were like none I have ever felt before, really.

Girl, if you are anything like me, you work yourself to death. Working hard is is one thing that I know for certain that I do every day. I keep it real and I don't lie, so in all honesty- I work myself as hard as I possibly can. But- if we're getting in the specifics- I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I don't spend every waking moment that I have at the soup kitchen or inside the animal shelter. Charity is something that I try to immerse myself in every day, even if it doesn't come in the form of visiting the nursing home or donating food to a shelter. When I find time in between everything else in my life, I absolutely do serve food when I get a chance, and I'll give tours to freshmen or do a community cleanup whenever the opportunity presents itself. But my service is a part of who I am, and maybe it is not apparent in the most vocal way, but I don't believe that it changes who I am and what I do.

Maybe you're like me. You and I use our valuable time to do things that we love the most. I love helping people, and when I find the time, I absolutely do go out of my way to visit the soup kitchen or hand out Christmas cards to homeless people of New York. I do these things because I love to do them- but not to check a box off on a list. The charity that I do is internal, constant, and isn't represented by a mark on an application confirming I donate one hour a week to a home for the elderly. I go out of my way to make others feel special, I donate an extra second to picking up trash off of the floor or helping somebody who is struggling. These are my ideas about my personal charity. I don't do these things so that I can be a part of a society- I do these things because they are what make life worthwhile- they are what make me, me.

I'm not here to prove myself. I know who I am, and everybody around me does too. I hope you find peace in this, too! Everyone around me- they see the hours and effort that I put in every single day. I would go on a rant about how many late nights I have, how much I spread myself thin, and how many different things I immerse myself in even when I have zero time in a day left- but I don't need a trophy for these things. I don't need to be rewarded. I do what I do because I love it- not because I need an Elite Society to tell me who I am or how much I have accomplished.

I'm not here to talk about myself. I'm not here to convince you that I deserve to be a part of this Honors Society. I'm simply here because I am trying my hardest to deal with one of the first official rejections of my life. One that in my heart, I do not believe is fair, justifiable, or correct. I believe that I deserve to be a part of society more than many, many people who did get accepted.

Now marks where I stop complaining. I have to deal with it. Because, in life, there are going to be plenty of things that are not fair. I can whine about them, or I can move on to better things and believe that there is more in store for me. I have to believe that everything happens for a reason.

As much as rejection hurts, I choose not to break. I know that maybe my situation is not fair. It's not really justifiable. I can not think of any reason that I do not deserve to be a part of the honors society.

But I'm not diving into that. That is not why I am writing; This is why.

I know who I am. I don't need a certificate to prove how much I do and who I am. I don't need an acceptance letter to tell me that I am a leader, a good person, a charitable person and an involved person. I believe that I satisfy every single one of these characteristics, and I'm not afraid to say that I display these characteristics more than many, many other people, even ones who got accepted over me.

I cannot let one setback destroy me. I have to realize my own worth- otherwise, who will? I don't need a reward, a trophy, or recognition for everything that I do. I know who I am, and I find peace in that, and knowing how much I do in my life and in my community, and in the fact that I have the ability to change the world every single day, and I do it a little bit more every single day, piece by piece.

I am not afraid to say that I deserve to be in the National Honor Society. I don't believe that I am being conceited when I tell you that I work harder than most people I know, or most people that got in.

If I didn't believe that I worked hard enough, I would simply work harder. I work to get what I want in life. I believe that is worthwhile in the end, and I will get what I deserve.

This time, things did not work out so much in my favor. I couldn't tell you why or how. But, that's life, and I'm moving on. I deserve better, and I am going to get better. Setbacks should only make you work harder- not convince you that you don't work hard enough. Everything I do every day is going to be worthwhile- I just need to keep working until my results come, and I know that they will.

I am not what happens to me - I am what I choose to become. Life is 10% what happens- and 90% what you make of it.

I choose to make the most of this.

And I hope that you do too.

Yours truly,

The Girl Who's Moving On