I recently realized that I am actually done with high school and I’m about to move onto the next chapter of my life. I admittedly have been in denial, feeling almost as if I’d never be able to get to this point. I have mixed emotions as I am both very excited and very nervous for the future, as I’m sure most people are. Last week I got a letter from my 14 year old self, written a few months before I entered high school, scheduled to be mailed a few weeks before graduation. After reading that letter, I decided that I wanted to write about what I would tell my 14 year old self and what advice I would give others who are still in high school, reflecting on what I’ve learned and how I’ve grown. 

Here are some lessons that I’ve learned:

• Your time in high school is too short to not have fun. Try new things. 

The last few years have gone by quicker than I could have imagined. I wish I could’ve told myself to go a little bit out of my comfort zone a little sooner. I realize now how valuable my time with my friends and family actually is. I plan on creating even more experiences that I will never forget. 

• Push yourself, you’re capable.

I spent too much time being scared of failure. I would have never achieved what I’ve achieved if I didn’t challenge myself or even take some risks. You will never know if you never try. 

• At the end of the day nobody’s opinion matters but yourself. Don’t surround yourself with people who don’t make you feel good about yourself. 

I wish I had the courage to stop surrounding myself with people who made me feel bad about myself. Anyone who judges you is not a true friend. It is very important to surround yourself with supportive people. What other people think of you or how they see you does not matter, do what you want because there’s certainly life after high school. 

• Have confidence, be proud of yourself 

Don’t sell yourself short, I never fully believed that I deserved what I earned, which should not have been the case. I worked hard and it took me a long time for me to gain the confidence to admit that. I now realize that what I achieved is because of my hard work and nothing else. 

• Take care of yourself 

Sometimes you need to put your mental health over your schoolwork. There were definitely a lot of nights where I should’ve just gone to bed instead of forcing myself to finish my schoolwork. Just take the bad grade. 

Over the past few years, I have not just grown as a student, I have grown as an individual. My senior year has been the year where I have thought the most about my growth. This has been due to the fact that I have been thinking about my future and how I am going to establish my independence in college. Throughout highschool, I pushed myself to achieve a future I wanted. Although I was surprised by my accomplishments, I gained the confidence to realize that everything I achieved was something I deserved. I realized that I am a lot more capable than I thought.