Dear High School Senior,
Twenty years ago I was standing right where you are getting ready to stand... On the brink of uncertainty at the top of this mountain you've been climbing for the past twelve years. (I know I don't look that old, and it's hard to believe, but I digress...)
I had no clue what I was going to do with my life. My high school experience was average. Average GPA, taking some hard classes like Calculus that I needed a lot of help in. Pretty good ACT score, ...but not high enough to put me in the running for any major money scholarships. I cheered, but wouldn't make the high school squad if I was graduating with you. I was in Chorus, and was pretty good, but never good enough to make it to All-State. Never made Student Council. Didn't make prom court. I was always an introvert and people thought I was a snob, and maybe I was a not so nice person. That is one of my biggest regrets. (And lest you read this age think I'm complaining, I'm not. I got to cheer for two state football championships and cheer at Rupp and won 3rd place in state with the FPS. I just wasn't the "shining star"... )
Twenty years ago I was standing right where you are getting ready to stand... On the brink of uncertainty at the top of this mountain you've been climbing for the past twelve years. (I know I don't look that old, and it's hard to believe, but I digress...)
I had no clue what I was going to do with my life. My high school experience was average. Average GPA, taking some hard classes like Calculus that I needed a lot of help in. Pretty good ACT score, ...but not high enough to put me in the running for any major money scholarships. I cheered, but wouldn't make the high school squad if I was graduating with you. I was in Chorus, and was pretty good, but never good enough to make it to All-State. Never made Student Council. Didn't make prom court. I was always an introvert and people thought I was a snob, and maybe I was a not so nice person. That is one of my biggest regrets. (And lest you read this age think I'm complaining, I'm not. I got to cheer for two state football championships and cheer at Rupp and won 3rd place in state with the FPS. I just wasn't the "shining star"... )
There was nothing special about me, and at the time I let myself believe that.
But here's the thing. The world needs "average" people. We need those shining stars, too.
We need you. So as you stare off into the horizon, remember that comparing yourself to someone else is like comparing apples to oranges. Dream big. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you aren't good enough because you're from Eastern Ky. If anything, the obstacles that we often have to overcome makes you better than.
Pursue something you are passionate about. Don't settle. Don't be afraid to rise to the challenge. It's ok to fall... Just dust yourself off and start again. Smile at people and take time to learn their stories, especially if theirs are different than yours. Every story matters.
Don't define success by the expectations of others. By the world, or your parents... but know that you are truly successful if you live every day to the fullest, and are the good kind of exhausted when your head hits the pillow. You know the difference.
Love hard and be the best you that you can be... Not trying to be somebody else. You can truly do anything... And if it's hard, just keep pushing.
I wish someone had told me all that twenty years ago... Or that I had listened!
Y'all are amazing!!! And we are cheering you on!
Sincerely,
A Nostalgic Member of the BHS class of 1997
But here's the thing. The world needs "average" people. We need those shining stars, too.
We need you. So as you stare off into the horizon, remember that comparing yourself to someone else is like comparing apples to oranges. Dream big. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you aren't good enough because you're from Eastern Ky. If anything, the obstacles that we often have to overcome makes you better than.
Pursue something you are passionate about. Don't settle. Don't be afraid to rise to the challenge. It's ok to fall... Just dust yourself off and start again. Smile at people and take time to learn their stories, especially if theirs are different than yours. Every story matters.
Don't define success by the expectations of others. By the world, or your parents... but know that you are truly successful if you live every day to the fullest, and are the good kind of exhausted when your head hits the pillow. You know the difference.
Love hard and be the best you that you can be... Not trying to be somebody else. You can truly do anything... And if it's hard, just keep pushing.
I wish someone had told me all that twenty years ago... Or that I had listened!
Y'all are amazing!!! And we are cheering you on!
Sincerely,
A Nostalgic Member of the BHS class of 1997
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