First of all, I cannot believe that you are heading into your last year of high school, and I will be 500 plus miles away. Up until this point, you may have felt like the last couple years of high school have dragged on, slow and monotonous. However, this year is different. As soon as August hits life gets unexplainably crazy and you will quickly realize that things will only get more exciting and complicated from now on and for the next nine months until you walk across the stage and receive your diploma.

Enjoy the beginning of everything. Enjoy your last first day of school, take an insane amount of pictures with your friends, and be present in those minutes together because next year you will probably all be walking into different places. People will already be talking and stressing about college from the get-go, but my best advice would be to wait. It's ok to go on visits and it's even better to enjoy them, but never get so caught up in the future that you forget about all of the people and opportunities that are standing right in front of you right now. Also, try not to get too attached to the places that you visit as well. You will probably change your mind a couple times before it is all said and done so keep an open mind and don't be afraid to look outside of your comfort zone. You may end up falling in love with somewhere you would have never imagined, or receive an amazing scholarship or opportunity at a school that was never on your radar. Give it all a chance.

Make it a point throughout this whole year to do things and talk to people that you would have never thought of. You might find a new activity that you love and even helps you find your college major. You also might find that the super organized girl that sits next to you in Spanish class will become one of the people you actually look forward to seeing on Monday mornings or that the class president is actually super down to earth and an amazing friend. People will grow and change a lot this year, both for the better and the worse, but be open and receptive to the ones that genuinely want to be a part of your life. But when people prove themselves to be disloyal or do not have your best interests at heart it is important to acknowledge that and more than okay to move forward without them. This year is way too short to be stressed about friends and boys that are causing you to be upset or feel like you are settling for less than you deserve. Keep the people in your life that give you joy and keep you in check, and make the most out of every single road trip, dance party, and girls night because soon enough you will all be packing up to go thousands of miles apart.

At the end of the day, the most important advice that I can give you is to live in the moment. Take time to really look around and take in where you are at this point in your life, because it all is about to change. Prom might not be the best night of your life and what you thought was the college of your dreams might not live up to your expectations, but the little moments that seem insignificant will become what you think of and miss most. Be present and be intentional with the time you still have. Be accountable for the choices you make and the person you are becoming. This year has so many amazing things in store for you and I cannot wait to see where it takes you. May will be here soon enough and you will look back feeling as though it has flown by so make each and every day count. Every dance, every car jam session, every heartbreak, every decision, every experience will make you into the person that is walking across that stage – make them count.