Dear Sofia,

I hope that these past four years have changed you in all of the ways that you wanted them to. I hope you have come out of your shell, that you don’t stand off to the side wishing you were outgoing enough to join the conversation and instead jump right in with confidence. I want you to be happy with the person you have become, and surrounded by friends who love and support you. More than any other aspiration I could have for you, I hope that you are happy.

Maybe you got into a sorority after rush and have sisters that have become your chosen family. Maybe you didn’t get into one but found your home somewhere else equally as wonderful. You’ve already studied abroad somewhere by now, and wherever it was I know it was the experience of a lifetime for you. I hope that you have gone outside of your comfort zone and taken all of the opportunities given to you with no regrets. You might have made an enhancement poster and gone to the conference in an amazing place, maybe you went camping in the desert with the outdoor club, or got an internship at a school. Whatever it is that you have done, I hope that you took everything that was handed to you in college, the good and the bad, and embraced it.

You’re probably stressed and relieved at the same time, but I know you’re excited because you are about to become a teacher! Don’t you get so excited just thinking about it?! You could stay another year and get your masters as a Reading Specialist. I strongly encourage you do that, but it’s okay if not because at this point you’re wiser than I am.

I know we are both wondering what the future holds for us, and I hope that you’re approaching it with a positive mentality. Whatever happened on our college journey, I hope you made the best of all of it and treated everyone with compassion.

From,

Sofia

Letter to My Freshman Self

Dear Sofia,

You were right, these past four years have changed me in more ways than either of us could have imagined. We were fortunate enough to have many of our ambitions become realities. We joined Sigma Kappa Sorority in the second semester of our freshman year and took on multiple leadership roles, created lasting friendships, and made memories both inside and outside of it. We changed our minor more than a few times before realizing our passion for teaching English. We eventually settled on changing our major to add Middle School to the mix as well as a concentration in English. Perhaps the most surprising thing for you would be that we grew to love secondary education so much, that I now plan on taking additional licensure testing so that I can teach AP and Dual Enrollment courses at the high school level one day.

We did end up enhancing several classes and presenting research in New Orleans with the honors college. We learned a great deal about the culture of the city and met honors faculty and scholars from around the United States and the world. This was by far, one of our favorite experiences that we will fondly remember for years to come.

I am currently eagerly anticipating a response from graduate school, and hope to get my master’s degree in English Literature. This is different from what you hoped, but it is the best fit for the person we have grown to be.

Overall, despite the Covid-19 pandemic cutting our time on campus short, and barring us from studying abroad, I have no regrets about when and where I went to college. These past two years have been harder than I could have possibly envisioned or hoped for us, but they have also been equally as rewarding. As you said, we did “make the best of it all” and “treat everyone with compassion” despite several bumps in the road.

Something that you didn’t understand before that I am now just beginning to, is that what you envision for yourself at 18 is not supposed to be what you truly need at 22. Adapting or completely changing your life plans to fit the person who you have grown to be is not a failure or derailment of your life path, but an achievement in that you were brave enough to acknowledge your growth and honor it with your actions. I am more excited than I can put into words to see what the future holds for us in terms of our growth as a person, scholar, and teacher.