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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at TCNJ chapter.

Dear younger me…

You had dreams to become the next Cinderella. You had dreams to become the next Hannah Montana.You had dreams to become a famous soccer player just like Mia Hamm. You had dreams to be the next President of the United States. You had dreams to become a New York City Rockette. 

I hate to break it to you but you did not become any of those things. 

You became a person who you could not be more proud of…

Number one. You found friends who will be by your side for the rest of your life. These people have wiped away your tears and made you laugh until your face starts to hurt. They have helped you through the toughest times in your life. You simply can not control the love that you feel for them. Maybe some of these friends will not be in your life forever but each and everyone of them is on this journey of growing up with you and they all will teach you lessons day by day. You are making memories of a lifetime.

Number two. You had the courage to step away from a part of your life that was causing you so much pain. Even though this meant that you had to walk away from friends who helped you shape yourself into the person you are. This allowed you to walk into a phase that put a smile on your face once again even when you thought that it was never going to happen again. This allows you to find a group of friends that loves you as much as you love them. This allowed you to find your passions in life. You taking a risk to better yourself paid off.

Number three. You have a passion for putting a pen to paper and exploring a creative mind that had been locked away for so long. You created a platform for yourself that you are so proud of. Your writing allows you to speak your mind and make up a world that you can escape to at any time. You dive deep into this passion because it has given you your voice. 

Number four. You have stopped caring about what everyone else thinks of you. You love the person you are and you aren’t afraid to do the things that make you the happiest. You’re not a selfish person but you also do not hold back from the things that you believe are the right things to do for yourself. 

Number five. You have suffered heartbreaks. I will not lie to you. BUT… you have put your heart back together piece by piece all by yourself. You realize your self worth and you have not and will not let someone walk into your life and break the most important part to you. You have made sure that when your heart is handed to someone else they will handle it with care.

Number six. Your best friend is still your mom. She has shaped you into the strong woman you are today. She has wiped away your tears, hugged you tighter than anyone in this world and been there for you through the best times of your life but most importantly the hardest times of your life that you had to go through.

And  to my future self… you are loved more than you will ever know. You have grown into a person who knows their self worth. You know what you deserve from life and you are not settling for anything less. Many things in your life are about to change as you enter your 20s even more. You will be okay no matter what. I promise that you will look back and be proud of the person you are becoming.

Love,

Me.

Emma Pascarella is a Senior attending The College of New Jersey. Emma is majoring in Journalism&Professional writing with a minor in Psychology in hopes to be a broadcast journalist when she graduates! Emma is also a member on the women’s soccer team at The College of New Jersey. XOXO