Dear Charlotte in 2021,
I want to begin by saying I am so proud of you. You did this for yourself. You are phenomenal. I hope you feel the same level of pride looking back at how far you have come.
I am not sure what we will accomplish by 2021, but with whatever we have accomplished, I am sure it is absolutely amazing. I can’t even imagine what we will get done by senior year after completely crushing and dominating freshman year! I know that in 2021, you will have grown and have learned so much about yourself, the world, and life. We have already learned so much this year, and there’s still so much you need to learn. I am so excited to see where we are at the end of this four year journey.
It is strange to write to you at this point in time. I just finished my first year at Longwood. I can proudly say that we did amazing things this year, and it is ONLY the beginning. This year, you hit the ground running and got involved immediately in organizations you love. You dived into the acapella scene and became Social Chair of Pitch Perfect and Secretary of Lady Joans (the first non-Honors/LIFE STEM community you joined). There were lots of great memories and learning experiences. You became Director of Lady Joan’s in Spring 2018. Currently, I am nervous about this huge responsibility yet excited and optimistic. I wonder if I still am Director when you read this. I also was Sergeant at Arms for the Honors Student Association this school year. This year, you also became a brother of Epsilon Eta (and then became Vice President), a Peer Mentor, and an Eco-Rep for the Office for Sustainability. Also, you planned your Study Abroad trip to Turks & Caicos. And you made Dean’s List. As you know, it is our nature to be involved and be passionate about school, so it shouldn’t surprise you at this point that I got involved instantly in my first year. I love how we get involved with where our heart is and we have so much love for what we do. I am at the edge of my seat in suspense for our future at Longwood, who knows what is next for us!
Your classes challenged you this year and life dealt you some interesting cards, but you handled the pressure so well. I am so impressed that I got straight A’s and one B in my first semester. In your second semester, you got a 4.0! I wish for you that you are still getting good grades (you don’t have to get a 4.0 every semester… it doesn’t define who you are or determine your smartness) and you are just as successful as you were in your first year. I acknowledge that we worked very hard, stayed focused, and were able to balance life. Somehow, we managed to do everything listed above, eat, sleep decently, and exercise (and in first semester, have an off-campus job). Strive for these expectations. You will go far.
While I am proud of what we accomplished (we deserve to be, we worked so hard!), it is important to remember the struggles of freshman year as well. You made (plenty of) mistakes. You were not always happy. Your heart was broken. There was a time where we were at our lowest. And that is okay, it happens. However, you took it upon yourself to do whatever it took to get back on your feet and make your first year in college yours. I hope that by 2021, you kept working on our personal struggles and keep making small improvements to make our lives easier. No matter what, I am still proud of you.
Before I sign off, I wanted to list off some advice that I learned in our freshman year while it is fresh in my head.
- Enjoy. every. moment. You will never be this free again. Make it memorable.
- Stay being your own person and do not listen to anyone who tries to bring you down. That was the main lesson I learned this year, so stay grounded in your self worth and self belief. You’re not going to please everyone all the time. And it is okay.
- Do not give up. You’ve got this.
- Be patient and understanding.
- Stay passionate and in love with what you do every single day. If you live a day without passion, it was a waste.
- Stay on top of things, stay aware, stay focused.
- You are so strong and beautiful. Inside and out.
- Stay humble, stay kind, stay friendly, stay being positive, stay passionate. Remember where you came from.
- Keep going to the gym. Our health journey has been amazing this year, keep it up!
- Make good choices.
I cannot wait to see the young woman that I become and to see where we go after Longwood. I know you are going to grow to be this phenomenal young woman who is going to save the world. I couldn’t help but get emotional writing this, I genuinely am proud of you! You got it girl!
Best of luck. I hope we are going to Paris after graduation.
Love,
Charlotte in 2018