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Dear Freshman Me,
Remember what mom said: stay focused and keep your eyes on the prize. There are so many things that are going to be working against you and there are going to be people that also work against you, but just stay focused.
My hopes were to make a new friends and my fears were minimal. If I did have a prominent fear, it would be not being able to progress in my studies the way I want to. Like everyone else going into freshman year, I had no idea of how the future is going to be. Movies and shows made high school look like such a cool place to be, and that the headspace of high school is fun all around.
Coming into high school as a freshman, I was nervous mostly about not making friends. It’s important to have common interests with others so your focus can be positive. Freshman year for me was full of drama and it did not serve a purpose in my life and actually made it more difficult.
I talk to more people now than I did back then.
I ask my teachers for help now, unlike when I first started high school.
I felt like my teachers were not listening to me and that my hopes and dreams for the future that I want for myself were not going to happen because they said so.
First lesson I learned: Time can go by quick, so make it count. Second lesson I learned: Stay away from people that are not going to school for the right reason, don’t mess up your name.
Third lesson I learned: Don’t burn yourself out.
Some people didn’t help me and didn’t believe in me, and some people did believe in me, but just did not help me get to the next step for my future. An example of someone who guided me was Mrs. Curtis, who asked me what I wanted to do with my future. She works on getting me to reach my goal. I want to go into computer science, and a way she aided me in that is helping me take Algebra II, a class I didn’t originally take.
I want to major in computer science and minor in cybersecurity, and I’m going to Washtenaw Community College.
Keep your eyes on the prize and stay focused. Finish what you start and don’t stay around people who are not good for you. Do not play with your future.
Your future is in your hands. Make the right choices to guide your path. Understand that things won’t always come easily right away, and you must work hard and take small steps to reach the end goal.
Sincerely,
Grace Thorn ‘25