As my baby sister turns 17 this week, I have spent the past few days reflecting on what I wish I knew when I was her age: when I was anxious to start my senior year but more excited to finish it, when I was dreading the class schedule that didn't coincide with the senioritis I would inevitably get, when I was already planning my senior toga and pancake breakfast, when I was 17 waiting for the longest year of my life that everyone swore would go by in a blink.

This doesn't have to be the best year of your life, or even the second best.

It is okay if covering yourself in glitter for the Friday night football game isn't your thing. It is more than okay to be realistic with this year ahead. Set goals- socially and academically, but do not hold your high school happiness to the standard of Sharpay Evans. Your joy this year doesn't have to come from school functions or the people you talk to in the AP classes you were forced into taking. This is just any other year, it has the same opportunity to be awesome as any other year. It really is all what you make it.

Decide how you want people to see you; then, act like it.

If you want to be known for your trueness: your love, your understanding, your honesty, your grace, then show the world what your heart is capable of. If you want to be known for your boldness, speak out and stand up. If you want to be known for your talents, put yourself in a position to present them. Stop posting and acting in a way you don't want to be remembered for.

You are not a rubber band; stop stretching yourself too thin.

With last minute senior projects, college applications, and extracurriculars, it is easy to be overwhelmed. In reality, your dream college you worked so hard to get into won't provoke your acceptance over a B. The one random club you joined 6 months before graduation won't be the deciding factor after getting deferred. This time in your life is nearly not as stressful as you're convinced it needs to be.

If it won't matter after graduation, don't let it matter now.

It's not too late for friends.

It has been almost 12 years, and you might still not know the name of every kid in your homeroom class. Though everyone leaves soon, don't let a finish line dictate your effort to the race. Don't let a graduation date decide who you allow into your life.

Don't do anything you don't want to just because you're a senior.

Do not spend three hours at a senior breakfast to hang out with people you don't even like. Do not waste your money on outfits you hate just because they match the theme of the football game you dread going to. Spend your energy on what you enjoy instead of wasting it on cliche crap that only looks appealing when you're trolling Instagram with a case of FOMO.

Spend your money on experiences instead of items.

When you remember your senior year or any year for that matter, you won't reminisce on the crop top you spent $30 on and wore to dinner once. However, you will remember the times you went to the $1 kids movie at your local theater at 8:00 a.m. or the times you drove half an hour away to eat at an Asian bakery where you were only brave enough for the green tea flavored doughnut.

Go to the $7 concert downtown, the early morning farmers market in the park, the Groupon for dinner at a place you have never heard of, and all the other reasons to spend your part-time job money. No one will remember what you got at the Urban Outfitters sale.

It's never too early to get ready for college.

Buy the mattress topper when you see it and get ready to ask for recs. Do not stress yourself out in August when you're trying to fit an entire dorm room worth of decor and necessities in random boxes in bins you found under your bed. Spread out your purchases, get to know potential roommates, look for outfits for recruitment, and start thinking about your dorm. Summer after graduation is busy. Do not wait until you're working full time or traveling to try to buy and pack everything you need to live for the next year.

Befriend your teachers.

These are the people who write your college recommendation letters and hug you at graduation. Being able to have a relationship with teachers gives them the ability to trust you and support you throughout such a hard season of life. You will need a lot from them this year, and if you are genuinely seeking their guidance, they will respect you and help you.

This isn't the end.

The friends who you truly care for aren't going anywhere. People are always willing to put effort and energy into the people they care about, and that shouldn't be underestimated. The people who matter will be there when you need them no matter the distance. You will still come home and see your family and old teachers and eat Mexican at the best local place. This all is not gone forever- you just need to be intentional.