To My Former High School Classmates,

It’s almost been a year since we graduated high school and man, has time flown. Our teachers weren’t kidding when they said that four years would go by in the blink of an eye, huh? I still remember freshman orientation as if it was yesterday — recognizing familiar faces and introducing myself to new ones while exploring the complicated interior of our high school (turns out it wasn’t so complicated after all). As the school events piled on top of each other, from attending the basketball games to participating in the spring musicals to eventually getting ready for our senior prom, we realized how quickly our time in high school went. All of the SAT preparation tests we endured and the miles we dreaded running in gym class led to graduation, a ceremony in which we would let go of our time in high school and prepare for the rest of our lives. We’ve all grown in tremendous ways since then — whether we have moved across the country to attend the college of our dreams or have applied to numerous jobs in attempts to launch our careers. Regardless of what different paths we are embarking on, we all have begun our journey into adulthood. While we have gone our separate ways and have experienced different difficulties, bumps and adventures thus far, we all share something that ties us together: we were one for an entirety of four years. Although our four years in high school have passed, they were special to each and every single one of us and played a large role in who we previously were and also who we are growing to be.

No matter what our relationship was while we were in high school, you made that time in my life as monumental as it was. Whether you were someone I simply said hello to while walking in the hallway, one of my closest friends or a person I only heard of, but never really talked with, you were a part of my life then and I can’t thank you enough for it.

We all had many aspirations in life and I wish for you to achieve them. I want you to prove everyone wrong and earn your college degree. I hope you continue to grow and mature as you experience more in life. I wish for you to become the person that you’ve always desired to be and to have the courage to pursue the life that you want. I hope that you never forget your time in high school and the people that you met because I will never forget any of you.

The memories we made with our closest friends and with the entire class as a whole, as well as the lessons we learned as individuals will always resonate within my soul. I can only hope that they will have the same impact on you. I only wish the best for each and every single one of you and I hope you know that I am always supporting you from afar.