You graduated high school and you never thought this day would come. The day that you were done, finally. The strings are officially cut, you no longer are associated by your mascot, and you have the world waiting for you to venture out into it. With the final closing to your high school career the start of the rest of your life begins.

You have been counting down the days to graduation since three months into your freshman year when you realized this isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. You have been day dreaming about what it is going to be like to go to a place where no one knows your name, your mom, your ex, and what you did for spring break two years ago. The thought of a fresh slate is heavily intoxicating.

You might think I’m about to tell you that this ideal world you dreamt of isn’t so, or that you should really value the time you spent in high school and your high school friends. Perhaps even that high school is truly the best time of your life and that everything after that is subpar. But I’m not because that is an absolute lie.

I’m here to tell you to get out and run. Run hard, and run fast because life gets so much better the second you get away from the place where you grew up. I want you to take in every moment that is about to happen to you starting in just a few months. The feeling you get when you visit your college campus for the first time as an actual enrolled student and things begin to get “real.”

When you move into your dorm room you are going to be overwhelmed by the simple fact that there is no way two people can share a room this small, and let's not forget your mother is with you, and this is single handedly the hardest day of her life. So bear with her as she organizes and then reorganizes everything she can get her hands on. I know you think you will combust at any moment but take a deep breath in and realize this is how she deals with things.

You’re going to take a class that for the first time in 18 years actually interests you and what you might want to do in the future, and that is hands down the best feeling known when you realize you’re in the right place.

The moment when you meet people for the first time who are actually like you. These are not people who you have to be friends with because you have been friends with them for three years already and it is nearly impossible to switch friend groups in high school. These are not people who the only thing you have in common with them is you all hang out with the same other group of friends so you might as well become friends yourself. These are the people out there in the world that are just like you. They share your interests, your passions, and ultimately shape you into the best version of yourself. Meeting these people might not happen in the first two weeks of college and it might not even happen in the first two. But eventually through trials and tribulations you will slowly begin to find your niche, I promise you that.

Take into account when you put in the hard work whether that may be academically, personally, socially, professionally, etc. Realize that sometimes life is hard and when you go out of your comfort zone you need to recognize the small successes.

When I told you to run hard and run fast I meant it. Life is full of many opportunities and when you stay stagnant and comfortable you begin to miss out on everything that is going on around you.

I realize how hard it is to go against the grain or the norm of the people you choose to surround yourself with. Although, there is no more rewarding feeling than branching out. You might be alone for a minute, you might feel clueless, but for the first time you are on your own. You have the ability to decide how you want to live your life and that is why you got away in the first place.

I want to leave you with something that has gotten me through my first two years of college: What I’ve found is the smaller circle you keep the tighter your friend groups are. The bigger the challenge you place in front of yourself the more likely you are to achieve it successfully. Nights in the library are inevitable but never shy away from a $20 concert on a Thursday night. Be kind and respectful but always remember to stand up for yourself and your beliefs no matter who it is to. If you think you can’t do something, try it anyway. What I’ve come to love is surprising myself. Move forward and grow but never forget the people who have shaped you to be who you are along the way. Stay grateful, remain yourself, and live your life freely.

Here’s to a blank page in your new book. Good luck, graduates, I mean it.