If you had asked 13-year-old me about what I thought of 20-year-olds, I would’ve said they seemed old, exceptionally mature, and had their entire lives planned out. Fast forward seven years— I was so wrong. There seems to be a huge, unspoken difference between 19 and 20 that makes it an important transition into official adulthood. So in light of my 20th birthday coming up, I wanted to reflect upon my own teen experience. Here are some snapshots from the past tumultuous, yet, amazing few years!
Hearing my 12-year-old sister constantly call herself a “tween” made me realize that I was not any better. At 13, my priorities were to act as “grown-up” as possible, want nothing to do with my parents, and hop on all of the cringy trends. I made Musical.ly’s, collected Kylie Cosmetics lip kits, and obsessed over Jelena— I still believe they will end up together. All I really wanted was to be with my friends 24/7, as we all tried to act like the “teen girls” we saw in televison shows and on YouTube.
At 14, high school began. Honestly, high school didn’t seem too bad until I started college and saw the increase in quality of life from not having to wake up at 6 a.m. every morning. At 14, establishing the rhythm of new schedules, maintaining strong friendships, trying new things, and learning more about myself became part of my everyday routine.
15 was a solid year, no complaints. I became very involved in extracurriculars and went on a memorable school trip to Berlin that sparked my interest in returning to Europe to study abroad. As I like to put it, sophomore year of high school was really the calm before the storm of junior year.
At 16, I began to grapple with my values and priorities while preparing for college application season. What was I passionate about? What did I enjoy? Where did I see myself in the future? SAT study preps and managing junior year courses made this year a little stressful. But looking back, it definitely contributed to my growth. At 16, I also gained immense interest for what I would eventually study in college.
At 17, college apps became a top priority, and the hard work of junior year began to pay off. I got into my favorite school, maintained a healthy love life, and saw some of my top artists live (the Sweetener tour was the actual best). But 17 was also one of the worst, as the pandemic hit in the spring of my senior year, erasing all possibility for a normal end to high school. The two guests at my “Pandemic Prom” were my mom and my boyfriend, which pretty much sums up 2020.
At 18, I was ironically the most mature and grounded version of myself, even more so than now. The pandemic made me so much more grateful for the most important thing in life: family. Though the start of college, though Zoom was not ideal, I channeled my energy into extracurriculars, solidified my career interests, and engaged in a super cool internship. I also became a lot closer with my dad, which meant a lot to me as he was always very busy before the pandemic forced him to work from home. The pandemic slowed life down in both good and bad ways. It definitely forced us all to take a step back and appreciate what we used to take for granted.
And now—19. At 19, I met so many new people, including some of my best friends, adopted a guinea pig who is my literal everything, and finally had a normal college experience consisting of loud music, big crowds, and picturesque weekends. In the process, I also developed more confidence and self love than ever before. Standing 10 feet away from Jack Harlow was also a highlight from this year that I just have to mention. Overall, I’d give 19 a 10/10.
As nervous as I am to enter the most influential decade of life, my excitement overpowers any anxiety. Exiting one era and entering another is a bittersweet transition, but it is one that I feel ready for. Here’s to 20!
My advice to current teens is to live life in the moment and not be too anxious about the future. Everything works out in magical ways, trust me!
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