As the end of the year festivities start to occur, it is starting to hit me that this is the beginning of the end. This reality seems so foreign to me because I’ve always thought of graduation as a concept that would occur years down the road, not in a couple of weeks. This bittersweet realization got me reflecting on my last 4 years thriving and suffering in this little, Catholic school on the hill.
Dear Freshman Anne,

       Your high school experience is going to be unforgettable. It is going to put you on an emotional roller coaster. Be prepared. You’re going to have moments when you feel like you are not strong enough. Believe me, you are. It’s okay to be a little weird…okay a lot weird. Fitting in isn’t going to be your thing, and it’s going to take the first couple of years to realize that. Freshmen year is going to consist of a lot of figuring out and extremely uncomfortable, awkward moments. That’s okay, because these are the moments that you get to look back and laugh at with the people you experienced them with. This year you’re going to care way too much about what others think of you, but that’s expected since you are barely fifteen. Sorry to break it to you, but your best friends freshman year aren’t going to play a huge role in your life a couple years down the road, who cares, create those strong bonds with them while you still have them. You’ll at least have the bittersweet memories. Freshmen year is probably going to be the most memorable for you because it is the start of you shifting into adulthood: embrace it.

          Oh boy, sophomore year…Anne, this is the year that you’re going to look back on and cringe. You shouldn’t regret it, but at least you can take the life lessons from it. Stay away from the boys who make you feel inferior or hard to love. Yeah they can make you feel special for a little bit, but in all reality they aren’t looking out for your best interest. You deserve better than that. This is probably going to be your most rebellious phase, but as Thomas Jefferson once said, “A little rebellion now and then is a good thing.” It’s a good thing you’re going to  get this rebellion phase out of your system young. This is by far the most uncomfortable year for you, but don’t worry, it goes by fast. However, some good things will come out of it, you’ll get to travel the world with your best friend, you’ll fall in love with track, and you’ll find the teachers and mentors who will help you get through this tough time in your life.

        Junior year:  this is the year where you will do the most growing up. You get to finally start discovering yourself and who you are as a person. Your friend group is going to start to shift dramatically, and everything is going to be a little foreign to you. This year you are going to start becoming a better friend, and things will start to seem like they are going your way. However, this is the year where you will suffer from severe anxiety and depression, but once again, you’ll find a way to cope with these things, for they are all just a part of your story. You’re going to start surrounding yourself with people who make you feel whole and like YOU. Don’t take these people for granted, and continue to tell them how much they mean to you. You’re going to end junior year thinking high school couldn’t get better, but believe me it does….and doesn’t.

      The start of your senior year is going to be very memorable for you because you will go into it thinking you have your life figured out, but you will soon realize your whole plan for your life is going to change. Don’t try to plan everything out. Just let things happen. This is the last year you have to humiliate yourself running cross-country (don’t quit though, those teammates are going to be your life long friends). Significant events are going to occur that completely shape you as a person, and help you discover who you are as a person and what you stand for. NEVER stop speaking YOUR truth, even if you are speaking to an empty room. Beware, your opinions are going to make you rather unpopular in certain aspects, but that’s okay, because they are your opinions and no one else’s. Always remember that  you’ll never change the world if you are always worried about being liked. You’re going to have the most incredible people in your life who love you for exactly who you are and nothing else. You’ll just wish you had had them in your life earlier. This is the year you’re going to need to rely heavily on your family. You’ve got a pretty amazing family who loves you a lot, but you are going to forget that at times throughout high school, just know that they will forever be on your side even when you don’t realize it.

       Enjoy high school, Anne, you’re going to really miss it. You’re not going to fully find out who you are in these years, but you are going to find out who you’re not, and isn’t that more than anyone can ask for?

                                                              Lots of Love,

                                                Soon to be graduate, Anne