Dear younger me,
Here is some advice that you should know.
Keep working hard. Throughout all levels of school, you’ve made time for extracurriculars, whether it was art class, music lessons or sports practices. You balanced AP classes and sports throughout high school. Because of your perseverance, you’ve been able to manage a busy college schedule. Taking 18 credit semesters, having leadership roles and being an active club member is a lot of work, trust me.
Take breaks. Sometimes it might seem difficult to keep going. Schoolwork and club responsibilities pile up. If you need to take a few things off your plate; it’s perfectly acceptable to do so. It’s ok to cancel plans or miss practice once in a while. Taking breaks and making time for yourself is necessary, or else you might burn yourself out.
Speak up. Even now I still get a little overwhelmed and anxious to speak up or share my thoughts. It’s ok to feel a little nervous, but people want to hear your contributions to discussions. They don’t care if you get the answer wrong or ask a dumb question. Chances are they aren’t even listening so ask away. Don’t be afraid to share your thoughts.
Live in the moment. Before you know it, anything can change. Your senior year of high school ended with a global pandemic. You missed out on the senior trip to New York City, senior ball, senior day and the big graduation ceremony that you were really looking forward to. Cherishing moments with your high school classmates and teachers was ripped out from under you. Take time to live in the moment and soak up all the great memories you make. Be spontaneous and have fun.
Plans change. When thinking about the future, you really don’t know what’s in store. You may think something is going to happen but in reality, the opposite does. Remember when you thought you’d go to school to become a dentist, yeah that didn’t quite happen. Surprise! You ended up as a communications major. (It is a pretty cool field too). Your expectations or thoughts may not end up coming to fruition. You could end up on a completely different path than you thought you would, but that’s perfectly okay.
Keep being your true self. Keep doing what you love. Keep working hard.
Sincerely,
Future you