Dear Freshman Girls…

AH!! You’re in high school… how crazy is that?! As I’m sure you know, it is definitely a huge change of pace from your days in middle school; more freedom, more friends, more classwork, more boys, more teachers, more everything! The unknown you’re facing now is nothing but exciting! (and maybe a little terrifying) You have so many options, so many choices of who you want to be and where you want to go in life. I can only imagine you have countless expectations as to how the next four years of your life will go, but I can assure you that in four years, the night you walk across the stage in your cap and gown, your life will be in a place you probably never imagined it would be. 
In these four years, I can guarantee that you will go through some major changes. There will be people you thought would be your friend forever who you don’t speak to by senior year. There will be classes that prove to be more than you think you can handle. There will be boys who steal your heart; and there will be boys who break it. There will be football games to cheer at, tests to study for, and homecomings to attend. There will be traditions you suddenly become a part of, and in four years, you’ll realize how sad you are to see them go. You are at one of the most pivotal stages of your life right now, and I am SO excited for you. 

I am currently FOUR MONTHS away from graduating from high school (116 days to be exact… but who’s counting, right?) It is a crazy place to be. Thinking about college feels like it should be #1 in my mind, but I still have almost an entire semester of high school left to finish. It is a very weird transition period – I feel done with high school, yet not quite ready to leave. 

Maybe you’re wondering why I, a high school senior is taking the time to write to you. Don’t I have better things to do that pretend I have some crazy wisdom about the ins-and-outs of high school? Well, no, quite honestly, I don’t.  – Really though, I know quite a few eighth and ninth grade girls personally who are either currently battling the chaos that is freshman year, or are anticipating it with eager hearts. I have seen the transformation that occurs in girls freshman year. I have seen it in girls in my own class and in each class after me. In some cases, I have seen girls blossom into an even better version of themselves. But too often I have seen girls lose themselves in the craziness that ensues as freshman year is underway. It has been 1,266 days since I walked into Fort Walton Beach High School for the first day of my freshman year, and I can honestly say that I’m proud of what I have accomplished, what I have stood for, and what I have gone through to get here. So today I have a few key tips that I hope and pray will lead you in a way that you won’t regret.

I mean it. Work real hard. At 14 years old it’s hard to know what you want 4 years from now, but I can promise you, if you don’t work hard now, it can be SO difficult to recover when you finally figure it out. If you want to graduate with honors, work hard now. If you want to get into your dream school, work hard now. If you don’t know what you want, but you know you’re going to want to be the best you you can be, work hard now. Don’t completely exhaust yourself over your schoolwork, but don’t let it slip. It’s not everything, but it is important, and you will kick yourself in the future if you let yourself slack from the very beginning.