Dear High School Class of 2017

The next four years are going to be some of the best of your life. There are going to be memories made, friends that come and go, and laughter till you cry.

By Lauren Heaton
12 May 2017

Dear High School Class of 2017,

The next four years are going to be some of the best of your life. There are going to be memories made, friends that come and go, and laughter till you cry. Classes that are so easy you are going to be tempted to ditch—but you won’t. There are going to be stressful weeks and classes that are so hard they are going to make you want to quit—but you won’t do that either.

There will be Instagram worthy adventures with friends, just don’t forget to pause long enough to capture those moments with your most powerful camera: your memory. There will be friends who hurt you—forgive them. There will be friends who surprise you and stick with you through all four crazy years—cherish them. There will be professors who make you work hard—give them your best work and then thank them for pushing you to greatness. There will be mistakes made—learn from them, own up to them and apologize too.

Don’t work so hard trying to impress others that you lose yourself. Try new things that challenge you. Set goals and work for them. Write out these goals so four years from now you will see that you accomplished so much more than a degree.

Call your parents, at least once a month, and tell them you love them. Thank them for raising you to be someone who chases your own dreams. Be gracious, be kind, be brave, be you.

These four years will indeed fly by and they are the perfect time to build up the person you want to be for the rest of your life. You will grow and change with time, but college is a great place to build your personal foundation. Up until this point, your family, friends, church, and teachers have been laying your foundation. Now it is your turn to lay some solid bricks to build your future self upon. The decisions you make now will affect those you love in the future.

If you want to be a loving person, be selfless. Ask others how they are doing and truly listen to them. If you want to be brave, stand up for what you believe in, even if you stand alone.

Smile often. Pray Always.

Go live your dreams class of 2017.

*****

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Photo Credit: Lauren Heaton, all rights reserved, used with permission.